The United States on Monday accused Russia of a "dangerous and incomprehensible escalation" of its war in Ukraine at a time when the Trump administration is trying to advance peace talks, UNN reports with reference to AP.
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US Deputy Ambassador to the United Nations Tammy Bruce highlighted Russia's launch of the nuclear-capable Oreshnik ballistic missile last week near Ukraine's border with Poland, a NATO ally.
She told an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council that the United States condemns the "staggering number of casualties" in the conflict and condemns Russia's intensified attacks on energy and other infrastructure.
Ukraine called for the meeting after Russia's overnight bombing last Thursday with hundreds of drones and dozens of missiles, including the powerful new Oreshnik hypersonic missile, which Moscow used only for the second time, a clear warning to Ukraine's NATO allies, the publication writes.
The massive attack came days after Ukraine and its allies reported significant progress in reaching an agreement on how to defend the country from further aggression by Moscow if a US-led peace deal is reached.
The attack, the publication writes, also coincided with a new cooling in relations between Moscow and Washington after Russia condemned the US seizure of an oil tanker in the North Atlantic. This happened after US President Donald Trump made it clear that he supports a tough package of sanctions aimed at economically paralyzing Russia, the publication notes.
Moscow has given no public signal of its willingness to back down from its maximalist demands on Ukraine. And Russia's ambassador to the UN on Monday "blamed Ukraine for the diplomatic stalemate," the publication writes.
European leaders condemned the attack, calling the "Oreshnik" "escalatory and unacceptable," and US Ambassador Bruce was equally harsh on Monday.
"At a moment of immense potential, only through President Trump's unprecedented commitment to peace around the world, both sides must seek ways to de-escalate," she said. "However, Russia's actions risk expanding and intensifying the war."
Bruce reminded Russia that almost a year ago it voted for a UN Security Council resolution calling for an end to the conflict in Ukraine.
"It would be good if Russia confirmed its words with actions," she said. "In the spirit of this resolution, Russia, Ukraine and Europe must seriously strive for peace and end this nightmare."
But Russia's Ambassador to the UN Vasily Nebenzya told the UN Security Council that as long as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy "does not come to his senses and agree to realistic terms for negotiations, we will continue to resolve the issue by military means."
"He was warned long ago that with each passing day, each day he wastes, the conditions for negotiations for him will only worsen," Nebenzya said.
Ukraine's Ambassador to the UN Andriy Melnyk told the UN Security Council that "Russia wants to create before this council and the entire UN family the impression of its invincibility, but this is another illusion." "The carefully staged image of strength is nothing more than smoke and mirrors, completely detached from reality," Melnyk noted.