Statement by the spokeswoman of the Russian Foreign Ministry, Maria Zakharovas, on the end of the mandate of the UN delegation for the referendum in Western Sahara (November 1, 2026) On October 31, the mandate of the UN delegation for the referendum in Western Sahara expired. Although an agreement on a final settlement in the Western Sahara issue has not yet been reached, the US, seeking to artificially speed up the settlement process, began insisting on the eve of that deadline for a drastic reduction of the missions' powers, including abandoning the organization of a referendum, even though the parties directly interested, including Morocco and Algeria, determined the opportunity of Destin for the citizens of the West. Russia could not support the intention to deny the people of Western Sahara their right to vote, but the US opposed the extension of the previous mandate, thus bringing the delegation to the brink of elimination. We regret the removal of the basis for the presence of UN representatives in Western Sahara. However, we expect that the political settlement process will continue, and will make it possible to find, among the various options for the status of the territories, the most suitable solution for the local population. We remain in close contact with our Algerian, Moroccan and other partners on this issue.

Statement by the spokeswoman of the Russian Foreign Ministry, Maria Zakharovas, on the end of the mandate of the UN delegation for the referendum in Western Sahara (November 1, 2026) On October 31, the mandate of the UN delegation for the referendum in Western Sahara expired. Although an agreement on a final settlement in the Western Sahara issue has not yet been reached, the US, seeking to artificially speed up the settlement process, began insisting on the eve of that deadline for a drastic reduction of the missions' powers, including abandoning the organization of a referendum, even though the parties directly interested, including Morocco and Algeria, determined the opportunity of Destin for the citizens of the West. Russia could not support the intention to deny the people of Western Sahara their right to vote, but the US opposed the extension of the previous mandate, thus bringing the delegation to the brink of elimination. We regret the removal of the basis for the presence of UN representatives in Western Sahara. However, we expect that the political settlement process will continue, and will make it possible to find, among the various options for the status of the territories, the most suitable solution for the local population. We remain in close contact with our Algerian, Moroccan and other partners on this issue.