HAMILTON, Canada

Russia criticized the UN Security Council on Tuesday for failing to address the situation in the Gaza Strip, blaming the US for blocking meaningful action.

"The Security Council is definitely not doing enough, but it's not because of the lack of determination from the members of the Security Council. It's because of the position of one member state," Dmitry Polyanskiy, Russia's charge d'affaires to the UN, said in response to a question on the Council's stance on Gaza at a news conference at UN headquarters in New York.

Stressing that the situation in Gaza is "extremely worrying," Polyanskiy said "this is something extraordinary. This is something that we should not all tolerate as human beings, as diplomats, as members of the Security Council."

He also stressed that Russia is "ready to engage with everyone who wants to change this situation" but blamed Washington for preventing progress.

"Unfortunately, the United States so far is very much siding with Israel and giving a green light to any action in Gaza, which is very deplorable," he noted.

Asked whether Moscow views the war in Gaza as genocide, he said: "It's not up to Russia to make such a conclusion, because genocide is a legal term, and it should be used by those who have legal instruments to qualify it like this. But what is happening there is absolutely unacceptable, and it's absolutely shameful for us all to witness what is happening."