U.S. Urges Russia To 'Act Professionally' At UN Security Council

The State Department on Monday urged Russia to conduct itself professionally during its scheduled UN Security Council presidency this month, TURAN's Washington correspondent reports.

"It’s our hope for Russia to conduct itself professionally during its scheduled presidency, and for the council to continue to do its important work on a number of issues of peace and security across the world," Principal Deputy Spokesperson Vedant Patel told a news briefing.

"That said, we also expect and are fully preparing for Russia to continue to use its seat on the council to spread disinformation and to try and distract from or justify its egregious actions in Ukraine," Patel said in response to TURAN's questions. "And so we’re going to continue to take close attention, and we will take appropriate steps as needed," he added.

Patel's comments came as Russia's former President Dmitry Medvedev said over the weekend that Ukraine "will disappear because nobody needs it"

"Medvedev is wrong," Patel said in response. "... And you have seen the United States take serious action over the past year and even prior to that to support our Ukrainian partners, to do everything we can to support them so that they can defend themselves against Russia’s aggression and defend their territorial integrity and sovereignty."

He went on to conclude: "... At the crux of this is the rules of a rules-based international order and the foundations of the UN Charter.  The border of one country should not be erased by pure aggression of another, and that is what Russia is trying to do.  And so we will continue to support our Ukrainian partners and put them in the best position possible for the negotiating table should that come."

Alex Raufoglu