UNSC votes to proceed with public meeting on Ukraine; Russia, China oppose
Jan 31, 2022
New York [US], January 31 : Amid the ongoing military buildup at the Russia-Ukraine border, the UN Security Council (UNSC) on Monday voted to proceed with a public meeting on Ukraine, with Russia and China opposing the move.
A total of ten members of the council voted in favour of the meeting, two against, and three abstained, the Russian news agency Sputnik reported.
Vasily Nebenzya, the Russian ambassador to the UN, dismissed the US-proposed meeting as a "classic example of megaphone diplomacy."
China's Permanent Representative Zhang Jun, who voted against as well, said this is "the right time calling for quiet diplomacy with more diplomatic efforts instead of microphone diplomacy or public confrontation."
Separately, UN Under-Secretary-General for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs Rosemary DiCarlo on Monday called on all sides to refrain from provocative rhetoric on the Ukraine crisis and focus on pursuing diplomatic solutions.
"We urge and expect all actors to build on these efforts and to remain focused on pursuing diplomatic solutions by engaging in good faith," DiCarlo said during a UN Security Council meeting. "We further urge all actors to refrain from provocative rhetoric and actions to maximize the chance for diplomacy to succeed," he added.
