U.S. Seeks to Confront Russia at U.N. Security Council Over Ukraine

Shafaq News / The U.S. called for a meeting of the United Nations Security Council to discuss the standoff over Ukraine, seeking to apply international pressure on Russia to negotiate its concerns about European security among diplomats rather than on the battlefield.

The meeting would be a rare opportunity for Washington and its allies to discuss the actions of another permanent Security Council member—Russia—on the world stage. Set for Monday, the meeting would occur just one day before Moscow takes over the rotating presidency of the council.

“More than 100,000 Russian troops are deployed on the Ukrainian border and Russia is engaging in other destabilizing acts aimed at Ukraine, posing a clear threat to international peace and security,” said Linda Thomas-Greenfield, the U.S. ambassador to the U.N., in a statement Thursday. “The members of the Security Council must squarely examine the facts and consider what is at stake for Ukraine, for Russia, for Europe, and for the core obligations and principles of the international order should Russia further invade Ukraine.”

Russia could seek to block the gathering, but Ms. Thomas-Greenfield’s public announcement suggests at least nine of the 15 council members are expected to support holding the meeting, enabling it to go forward, a U.N. diplomat said. The Russian mission to the U.N. had no immediate comment on U.S. efforts to bring up the Ukraine standoff.

Russia has deployed troops close to Ukraine’s border, moved troops and air-defense missiles into Belarus as part of a planned military exercise next month and shifted tanks and other heavy equipment westward from bases in the Far East. Western defense officials say Moscow has made what appear to be final preparations for an invasion of Ukraine by sending medical units to the front, moving to a level of readiness not reached in past buildups.

Source: The Wall Street Journal