The emergency session on Ukraine was requested by Ukraine + UNSC members US, UK, Albania, Ireland, Norway and Mexico.
Russia chairs the UNSC at present (until the end of February).
First remarks are coming from the UN Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs, Rosemary A. DiCarlo. Speaking to the council:
- regrets order to deploy russian troops into eastern ukraine on reported 'peacekeeping mission'
- says u.n. fully committed to sovereignty, independence, territorial integrity of ukraine, within internationally recognized borders
- says 'risk of major conflict is real and needs to be prevented at all costs'
US ambassador to the UN, Linda Thomas-Greenfield:
- says Russian order to deploy peacekeepers in eastern Ukraine is nonsense
- says Russian recognition of eastern Ukraine 'clearly the basis for Russia's attempt to create a pretext for a further invasion of Ukraine
- says Putin wants the world to travel back in time, to a time when empires ruled the world, this is not 1919
- says the consequences of Russia's actions will be dire -- across Ukraine, Europe and the globe
- says that President Putin has "torn the Minsk agreement to shreds" and says that no UN member "can stand on the sidelines."
more to come
