The UN Security Council has overwhelmingly rejected Russia’s attempt to establish a commission to investigate its unfounded claims that Kyiv and the Washington have biological weapons programs in Ukraine.

Russia only got support from China in the vote on its resolution on Wednesday, with the US, Britain and France voting no and the 10 other council nations abstaining.

The resolution was not approved because it failed to get the minimum nine yes votes required for adoption.

The 2-3-10 vote reflected the council’s continuing opposition and scepticism about Russia’s actions since its February 24 invasion of Ukraine.

The council has been paralysed from taking any action against Russia’s military offensive because of Russia’s veto power.

Russia circulated the draft resolution last week alleging that military biological activity is taking place at biological laboratories in Ukraine with support from the US Defense Department.

Russia’s deputy ambassador Dmitry Polyansky said after the vote that his government was “extremely disappointed” the council did not respond positively to its request to establish a commission comprising the Security Council’s 15 members to carry out an investigation as allowed under Article VI of the biological weapons convention.

He claimed “Western countries demonstrated in every way that the law does not apply to them” and “are ready to trample any norm, to flout any rule,” accusing them of a “colonial mentality”.

US ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield countered that the United States voted against the resolution “because it is based on disinformation, dishonesty, bad faith, and a total lack of respect for this body”.

– AAP