The United States accused Russia on Monday of a “dangerous and inexplicable escalation” of its nearly four-year war in Ukraine, as the Trump administration sought to advance negotiations toward peace, according to a report on an emergency meeting of the U.N. Security Council.
U.S. deputy ambassador to the United Nations Tammy Bruce told the council that the United States deplores “the staggering number of casualties” in the conflict and condemned Russia’s intensifying attacks on energy and other infrastructure. She said the U.S. singled out Russia’s launch of a nuclear-capable Oreshnik ballistic missile last week close to Ukraine’s border with Poland, a NATO ally.
Bruce argued the timing mattered, saying, “At a moment of tremendous potential… both sides should be seeking ways to de-escalate,” while adding that “Russia’s action risks expanding and intensifying the war.” She said Russia also had a Security Council record that did not match its current position, reminding the council that nearly a year ago Russia voted in favor of a Security Council resolution calling for an end to the conflict in Ukraine.
Bruce said, “It would be nice if Russia matched their words with deeds,” and urged that, in the spirit of that resolution, Russia, Ukraine and Europe must pursue peace seriously and bring the war to an end.
The emergency session was convened at Ukraine’s request after last Thursday’s overnight Russian bombardment that included hundreds of drones and dozens of missiles, the report said. The attack included the hypersonic Oreshnik missile, which Moscow used for only the second time, and the report said it was meant as a warning to Kyiv’s NATO allies.
The report said the large-scale attack came days after Ukraine and its allies reported major progress toward agreeing on how to defend the country from further Russian aggression if a U.S.-led peace deal is struck. It also came alongside a new chill in relations between Moscow and Washington after Russia condemned the U.S. seizure of an oil tanker in the North Atlantic, and as President Donald Trump signaled he supports a hard-hitting sanctions package intended to economically cripple Russia.
Europe’s leaders condemned the attack using the Oreshnik as “escalatory and unacceptable,” the report said. Bruce said the U.S. was equally tough, while Russia’s position at the council shifted to blaming the diplomatic impasse on Ukraine.
Russia’s U.N. ambassador Vassily Nebenzia told the council that until Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy “comes to his senses and agrees to realistic conditions for negotiations,” Russia would continue “solving the problem by military means.” Nebenzia said Zelenskyy had been warned and that “each day which he squanders” would make conditions for negotiations worse, while adding that “Similarly, each vile attack on Russian civilians will elicit a stiff response.”
Ukraine countered that Russia is currently in a worse strategic position than it had been earlier in the war. Ukraine’s U.N. ambassador Andriy Melnyk told the council that Russia is “more vulnerable now than at any time since the start of the full-scale invasion in February 2022,” adding that its economy is slowing and oil revenue is down.
Melnyk said Russia wants to convey an image of invincibility to the council, but that it was “another illusion,” telling the council that the “carefully staged image of strength is nothing but smoke and mirrors, completely detached from reality.”