Russia ‘s representative to the UN Security Council said this Monday (02.21.2022) that his country “does not want a bloodbath in Donbas” (region of eastern Ukraine) and assured that there is “an unfounded panic at the invasion of Ukraine” in Western countries.
The session was urgently requested at the request of Ukraine in response to Russian President Vladimir Putin ‘s announcement to recognize the self-proclaimed states of Donestk and Lugansk (which form the Donbas region) and to send troops to these two enclaves, an announcement that has aggravated a conflict that has been brewing for several weeks .
The Russian ambassador to the UN, Vassily Nebenzia , listened undaunted to the declarations of the member countries of the Council , most of which condemned the attack against the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Ukraine , with the notable exceptions of China and India , which limited themselves to to generic calls for diplomacy.
The session ended without any agreement and without the bloc of countries allied with the United States announcing the new sanctions against Russia that they promised today from their respective capitals and that will supposedly materialize in the next few hours.
Nebenzia assured that Russia continues”open to diplomacy”, but underlined the need to defend the breakaway regions from what he called Ukrainian aggression.
“We remain open to diplomacy for a diplomatic solution,” he said during the Security Council’s emergency meeting. “However, allowing a new bloodbath in Donbas is something we don’t intend to do”.
On his side, Ukraine’s ambassador to the UN, Sergiy Kyslytsya , declared in the Security Council that his country’s “internationally recognized borders” will remain unchanged despite Russia’s statements and actions.
Ukraine calls for “annulment of the decision to recognize Donetsk and Lugansk
Ukraine demands Russia “annul its decision to recognize” Ukrainian secessionist territories , “return to the negotiating table” and proceed to an “immediate and verifiable withdrawal of its occupation troops,” the diplomat said.
The UN and numerous countries led by the United States denounced on Monday at the urgent session of the Security Council Moscow ‘s decision to recognize the independence of secessionist republics in eastern Ukraine and the deployment of russian troops.
President Vladimir Putin ‘s designation of the Russian military as a “peacekeeping force” to justify its entry into separatist territories is “nonsense,” said US Ambassador to the UN Linda Thomas- Greenfield.
“They call them peacekeeping forces. It’s nonsense. We know what they really are,” the diplomat attacked.
Earlier, the UN Assistant Secretary General for Political Affairs, Rosemary DiCarlo, ” deeply regretted” Russia’s decisions and acts.
“The next few hours and (next) days will be critical . The risk of further conflict is real and must be avoided at all costs,” he told the meeting called by Westerners.
For his part, the Chinese representative called on all the actors in the Ukrainian crisis to “show restraint” .
“All parties concerned must show restraint and avoid any act likely to fuel tensions,” Zhang Jun, China’s ambassador to the UN, told the Security Council.