Germany blames support for Ukraine and Israel for 'bitter defeat' in Security Council bid

BERLIN — German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul has said support for Ukraine and Israel may have cost votes after Berlin failed to secure a rotating spot on the UN Security Council.Germany has failed in its bid to secure one of the two rotating seats allocated to European countries with Portugal and Austria winning election to the UN body.Germany received 104 votes from the 193-member UN General Assembly while Portugal secured 134 votes and Austria received 131.Speaking to reporters after the vote, Wadephul noted that Berlin’s support for Ukraine and Israel may have played a role.”We have always taken a clear stance on certain issues, and these are positions that not all member states share,” Wadephul said.”The fact that Germany must always assume a special responsibility for Israel in the Middle East conflict may also have cost votes,” he said.Germany, which has already served six terms on the Security Council, was unsuccessful in its attempt to return to the body for a seventh term.Wadephul described losing out to Portugal and Austria as a “bitter defeat” after a vote on which countries would become one of the five new members of the council was held on Wednesday evening.”There is our firm support for Ukraine, the fact that Russia does not want such a voice at the Security Council,” Wadephul said, adding it was “no secret” Russia had stirred up sentiment against Germany.There are five permanent members of the UN Security Council – China, France, Russia, the UK, and the US – and 10 temporary ones..Wadephul also blamed his country’s late entry into the race for the two-year term on the Council.Russia has not responded to accusations it lobbied against Germany’s membership.Kyrgyzstan, Trinidad and Tobago and Zimbabwe were also elected to the Security Council, which is the only UN body that can make legally binding decisions such as imposing sanctions and au