The U.N. Security Council will hold an emergency meeting Monday night after Russian President Vladimir Putin recognized the independence of separatist regions in eastern Ukraine and ordered Russian troops to “maintain the peace” there.
The meeting comes at the request of Ukraine, the United States and six other countries. Russia, which currently holds the rotating council presidency, has scheduled it for 9 p.m. New York time.
Yet undetermined is whether the meeting will be open or closed.
Ukrainian U.N. Ambassador Sergiy Kyslytsya says in a letter to his Russian counterpart that Kyiv is requesting the urgent meeting because Putin’s actions violate Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, the U.N. Charter and a 2014 U.N. General Assembly resolution.
It is virtually certain the Security Council will not take any action or issue any statement because Russia has veto power.
Putin ordered forces Monday to “maintain peace” in separatist regions of eastern Ukraine, hours after the Kremlin recognized the area’s independence. The announcement raised fears that an invasion was imminent, if not already underway.
The Kremlin decree, spelled out in an order signed by Putin, left unclear when, or even whether, troops would enter Ukraine. But it brought swift promises of new sanctions from the U.S. and other Western nations and underscored the steep challenges they face in staving off a military conflict they have portrayed as near-inevitable.
Via Newsmax