Russia calls for humanitarian mission to Ukraine as Poland sounds a warning
At a UN Security Council meeting, Russia raised concerns over displacement in eastern Ukraine and called for greater aid to civilians. Critics say Russia is cloaking its true intentions in a conflict that it helped seed.
At a UN Security Council meeting, Russia raised concerns over displacement in eastern Ukraine and called for greater aid to civilians. Critics say Russia is cloaking its true intentions in a conflict that it helped seed.
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A senior United Nations official told the Security Council Tuesday night that 鈥渋mmediate action鈥� was required to find a political situation to end the fighting in eastern Ukraine.
The emergency meeting was held at the request of Russia, which says eastern Ukraine faces a 鈥渉umanitarian catastrophe鈥� and proposed聽a humanitarian mission to help displaced civilians, according to the Wall Street Journal.
Critics accuse Russia of using civilian suffering as a pretext to intervene directly in a region where pro-Russian separatists are battling Ukrainian forces.
Moscow is staging a week of war games near Ukraine鈥檚 border, and raised troop levels to 20,000 according to senior NATO officials. As 海角大神鈥檚 Moscow correspondent reported, that鈥檚 far below the 40,000 troops massed by the border in March and may be primarily meant to rattle nerves, a goal it looks to be accomplishing.
Today, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk warned in a news conference that 鈥渢he risk of a direct intervention聽[by Russia鈥檚 military in Ukraine] is for sure higher than it was several days ago.鈥澛�
John Ging, director of UN humanitarian operations, told the Security Council that power and water supplies have been cut to a few hours a day in Donetsk and Luhansk; health supplies are low; and about 70 percent of health workers have left, according to the Associated Press.
Britain鈥檚 UN ambassador Mark Lyall Grant echoed questions by the US and Rwandan ambassadors about Russia鈥檚 request for an emergency meeting on the humanitarian situation.聽
鈥淚t is deeply ironic that Russia should call for an emergency meeting of the council to discuss a humanitarian crisis largely of its own creation,鈥� Mr. Grant said.
Russia's state-run media outlets prominently covered the UN meeting and cast blame on Ukraine:
From Itar-Tass:
From Ria Novosti:
Fighting grew closer to the center of Donetsk in eastern Ukraine Tuesday, the Associated Press reports. City officials said Tuesday that three people had been killed in overnight shelling.
The Ukrainian military鈥檚 offensive to reclaim major cities in eastern Ukraine is slow going, the Wall Street Journal reports, as troops encounter heavy fighting.
Also on Tuesday, some 400 Ukrainian troops who had sought temporary refuge in Russia after being surrounded by rebel forces for weeks, were returned to Ukraine.