US did not join UN condemnation of Russia over threats of "systematic strikes" on Kyiv - AFP
Kyiv • UNN
About 50 countries at the UN condemned Russia's threats to strike embassies in Kyiv. The United States did not sign this joint statement on the inadmissibility of attacks.
Nearly 50 countries condemned what they called Russia's threats to embassies in Ukraine in a joint statement at the United Nations on Tuesday, but the U.S. did not join the signatories, AFP reports, according to UNN.
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Russia called on Washington to evacuate its embassy in Kyiv on Monday, threatening "systematic strikes" on the Ukrainian capital amid similar warnings to other diplomatic missions.
"We also condemn Russia's recent threats to diplomatic missions and embassies in Kyiv. This is something we cannot accept," reads the joint statement released by Ukraine's representative to the UN, Andriy Melnyk.
"The statement was signed by European countries, Japan, South Korea, and others. The United States was not among the signatories," the publication points out.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres, following another massive Russian strike on Kyiv, expressed his concern over the Russian attacks, stating he is "deeply concerned by the recent statement of the Russian Federation regarding the delivery of consecutive and systematic strikes on Ukrainian defense enterprises in Kyiv, as well as on decision-making centers and command posts."
"Now more than ever, it is crucial to avoid any escalation of the conflict, which has already inflicted devastating losses on the civilian population and risks making the search for peace even more remote," Guterres told the UN Security Council.
Among the weapons Russia used over the weekend was its "Oreshnik" hypersonic missile, which can travel at 10 times the speed of sound and is capable of carrying nuclear warheads, according to Moscow.