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US, Russia Clash over Ukraine at UN Security Council

Russia and the United States clashed sharply as the United Nations Security Council met Monday to discuss troop buildup along the Ukraine border.

Russian Ambassador Vasily Nebenzia accused the U.S. and Western nations of "whipping up tensions" over Ukraine. He said the U.S. has falsely accused Russia of planning military action, saying, "You want it to happen. You're waiting for it to happen, as if you want to make your words become a reality."

U.S. Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield answered that Russia's military force of more than 100,000 troops along Ukraine's borders was "the largest mobilization" in Europe for years.

"And they are attempting, without any factual basis, to paint Ukraine and Western countries as the aggressors to fabricate a pretext¹ for attack," she said.

The exchanges in the Security Council came as Russia lost an attempt to block the meeting. And talks between the U.S. and Russia have so far failed to ease tensions in the crisis.

The U.S. requested Monday's public discussion in the council and needed at least nine votes to open the meeting after Russia tried to block the vote. Ten council members voted in favor, Russia and China voted no, while India, Gabon and Kenya abstained².

The discussion centered on whether the build-up of Russian troops on the border with Ukraine is a threat to international peace and security - which the Security Council is charged with maintaining.

The Russian ambassador blamed the U.S. for the 2014 popular protest that led a Russian-friendly president to flee Kyiv. He claimed that it brought to power "pure Nazis," and created the conflicts that exist between Ukraine and Russia. But Nebenzia left the meeting as the Ukrainian Ambassador started to speak.

American President Joe Biden has warned Russia that the U.S. will start "strong economic and other measures" as punishment should Moscow start a military conflict against Ukraine. He said in a statement that the Security Council meeting was a chance for "the world to speak out in one voice" calling for nations to stop "military aggression³ against its neighbors."

The Security Council has met several times over the crisis in Ukraine since Russia took over Crimea in 2014. The council has not been able to take any action as Russia is one of the council's five veto powers, along with the United States, China, France and Britain.

On Tuesday, Russia takes over the council's rotating presidency⁴ for February. Some diplomats⁵ warn that Russia could delay any attempts by council members to request another discussion on actions by Russia.

The U.N. General Assembly is also set to hold its yearly discussion on "the situation in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine" on Feb. 23.

Words in this Story

fabricate – v. to create or make up something

pretext – n. a reason that you give to hide your real reason for doing something

rotate – v. to regularly change the place or position

1 pretext   

n.借口，托词

参考例句：

• He used his headache as a pretext for not going to school.他借口头疼而不去上学。
• He didn't attend that meeting under the pretext of sickness.他以生病为借口，没参加那个会议。

2 abstained   

v.戒（尤指酒），戒除( abstain的过去式和过去分词 )；弃权（不投票）

参考例句：

• Ten people voted in favour, five against and two abstained. 十人投票赞成，五人反对，两人弃权。
• They collectively abstained (from voting) in the elections for local councilors. 他们在地方议会议员选举中集体弃权。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 aggression   

n.进攻，侵略，侵犯，侵害

参考例句：

• So long as we are firmly united, we need fear no aggression.只要我们紧密地团结，就不必惧怕外来侵略。
• Her view is that aggression is part of human nature.她认为攻击性是人类本性的一部份。

4 presidency   

n.总统(校长，总经理)的职位(任期)

参考例句：

• Roosevelt was elected four times to the presidency of the United States.罗斯福连续当选四届美国总统。
• Two candidates are emerging as contestants for the presidency.两位候选人最终成为总统职位竞争者。

5 diplomats   

n.外交官( diplomat的名词复数 )；有手腕的人，善于交际的人

参考例句：

• These events led to the expulsion of senior diplomats from the country. 这些事件导致一些高级外交官被驱逐出境。
• The court has no jurisdiction over foreign diplomats living in this country. 法院对驻本国的外交官无裁判权。 来自《简明英汉词典》