US, Russia face off over Ukraine at Security Council meeting
By Laura Kelly - 01/31/22 12:38 PM EST
The U.S. on Monday sought to rally the international community to confront Russia’s military buildup on Ukraine’s border by labeling it a threat to global peace and security, drawing condemnation from Moscow that Washington is stoking hysteria.
The U.N. Security Council meeting marked a public face-off between the U.S., Russia and the global community, following weeks of intensive diplomacy aimed at pressuring Moscow to withdraw more than 100,000 troops positioned on Ukraine’s border, which Washington says are poised to invade.
“Russia's actions strike at the very heart of the U.N. Charter. This is as clear and consequential a threat to peace and security as anyone can imagine,” the U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, said in her remarks.
“This is the largest, hear me clearly, mobilization of troops in Europe in decades.”
Russian Ambassador Vasily Nebenzya vehemently dismissed arguments from the U.S., and accused Washington of “whipping up tensions and rhetoric and are provoking escalation.”
“You are almost calling for this, you want it to happen, you're waiting for it to happen, as if you want to make your words become a reality,” Nebenzya said.
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https://thehill.com/policy/international/592088-us-russia-face-off-over-ukraine-at-security-council-meeting