US ambassador to the UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield speaks during an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council on the Ukraine crisis, in New York, February 21, 2022. Photo: AFPThe United States and its allies rounded on Russia during an emergency Security Council session on Monday, denouncing Vladimir Putin’s recognition of rebel-held areas in Ukraine and his ordered deployment of troops as a gross violation of international law and “pretext for war.
Ukraine’s ambassador Sergiy Kyslytsya insisted that his country’s borders remain “unchangeable” despite Russia’s actions. Putin’s order has been widely seen as paving the way for an operation to deploy part of the potential invasion force he has massed on Ukraine’s borders.