Servet Günerigök
31 January 2022•Update: 31 January 2022
WASHINGTON
The day before a UN Security Council meeting on Russia-Ukraine tensions, the US envoy to UN said the top international body remains "unified" in response to any distraction from Moscow.
Speaking to ABC News on Sunday, US Ambassador to the UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield said Russia will attempt to block the meeting and "distract from our unified voices".
"But they know that they cannot block the meeting. And I expect that, knowing what we're dealing with, that they will make an attempt. But the Security Council is unified. Our voices are unified in calling for the Russians to explain themselves," said Thomas-Greenfield.
She said the US and its partners will attend the meeting "prepared to listen to" Russians, "but we're not going to be distracted by their propaganda.”
"And we're going to be prepared to respond to any disinformation that they attempt to spread during this meeting," she added.
On Thursday, Thomas-Greenfield called on the UN Security Council to hold an open session to address the West's concerns that Russia is in the midst of preparations to invade Ukraine.
In a statement, she said the session would "discuss a matter of crucial importance to international peace and security: Russia’s threatening behavior against Ukraine and the buildup of Russian troops on Ukraine’s borders and in Belarus."
The US call came amid Western concerns of a potential Russian invasion of Ukraine, with NATO and the US saying Russia has amassed more than 100,000 troops on its border with the former Soviet Republic and is staging troops in Belarus.
In both cases, the Kremlin denies preparing for a military offensive and maintains that its troops are taking part in routine exercises.
