The United States says the UN meeting is an opportunity for Russia to clarify its position

UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) – A meeting of the United Nations Security Council on Monday on the reinforcement of Russian forces on the Ukrainian border will be an “opportunity for Russia to make clear what it is doing,” a senior US government official said. He indicated that he could try to stop the discussion of the General Council.

“While I think there will be some inconsistency and maybe some misinformation… there is also a clear opportunity for Russia to tell the Security Council whether they see the path of diplomacy or wish to continue the conflict,” the US official said. On condition of anonymity.

Russia has massed nearly 100,000 troops near its border with Ukraine, while denying it is planning an invasion. Several rounds of talks took place without progress, but the United States, NATO and Russia kept the door open for further dialogue.

US Ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas Greenfield on Thursday asked 15 members of the Security Council to meet publicly on Monday to discuss Russia’s “threatening behavior” against Ukraine and the buildup of Russian forces on Ukraine’s borders and to discuss it in Belarus.

On Friday, Russian Deputy Ambassador to the United Nations Dmitry Polyansky dismissed Thomas Greenfield’s statements as “baseless allegations and assumptions.”

“We hope that the members of the UN Security Council (UNSC) will not support the apparent PR stunt that damages the reputation of the UN Security Council,” Polyansky said in a tweet on Twitter, suggesting that Russia might call for a vote in an attempt to stop the meeting.

Any member of the Security Council can call for a vote to ban the meeting. At least nine votes are needed to move the meeting forward, and China, Russia, the United States, Britain and France cannot exercise their veto. UN diplomats said any attempt to stop Monday’s meeting was likely to fail.

“We are confident that there will be broad support in the council for this meeting,” the US official said. A second US government official described the council meeting as a “preventive tool in our diplomatic efforts.”

The United Nations Security Council has met dozens of times to discuss the crisis in Ukraine since Russia annexed Crimea in 2014. It cannot take any action because Russia is one of the council’s five veto powers.

(Reporting by Michelle Nichols), as well as Steve Holland. Editing by Alistair Bell and Cynthia Osterman

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