Russia says US 'violating international law' by backing Morocco’s claims to Western Sahara in deal normalising ties with Israel

One of Russia’s top diplomats has told journalists that Washington’s move to back Morocco’s claims to sovereignty over the disputed Western Sahara undermines international efforts in the region.

Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov said on Friday that the deal was “a violation of international law.” He added that “the UN has a goal to hold a referendum in Western Sahara. Everything that the Americans have done now is a unilateral decision that breaks international law and the decisions of the UN Security Council resolutions, which the Americans themselves voted for.”

US President Donald Trump announced on Thursday that his administration would recognize Western Sahara as part of Morocco, in exchange for the country opening up ties with Israel. Much of the territory is administered as part of the de facto independent breakaway Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic, which has diplomatic relations with 40 UN states and is a full member of the African Union.

The region once saw a bloody civil war between Moroccan authorities and Sahrawi nationalists, with thousands killed in fighting between 1975 and 1979. The United Nations maintains that the Sahrawi people have a right to self-determination, and the office of its Secretary General, Antonio Guterres, said on Thursday that the international organization had not changed its position despite the move by Washington.

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