Russia's growing military force of more than 100,000 troops along Ukraine's borders was "the largest mobilisation" in Europe in decades, US tells UNSC.
The United States has received a written follow-up from Russia after Washington submitted written responses last week to Moscow's demands in their standoff over Ukraine, a State Department spokesperson has said.
"We can confirm we received a written follow-up from Russia. It would be unproductive to negotiate in public, so we'll leave it up to Russia if they want to discuss their response," the spokesperson said on Monday.
"We remain fully committed to dialogue to address these issues and will continue to consult closely with our allies and partners, including Ukraine," the spokesperson added.
The Russian response comes as the Biden administration continues to press the Kremlin to deescalate a growing crisis on the Ukraine border, where some 100,000 Russian troops have massed. Russia denies it is planning to attack Ukraine.
It demands pledges that Ukraine will never join NATO, a halt to the deployment of NATO weapons near Russian borders and a rollback of the alliance's forces from Eastern Europe. NATO and the US call those non-starters.
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Harsh words exchanged at UN
Earlier on Monday, Russia accused the West of "whipping up tensions" and said the US had brought "pure Nazis" to power in Kiev as the UN Security Council held a stormy and bellicose debate on Moscow's troop buildup near its southern neighbour.
"You are almost pulling for this," Russian Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia said, looking at US Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield.
"You want it to happen. You're waiting for it to happen as if you want to make your words become a reality."
Thomas-Greenfield shot back that Russia's growing military force of more than 100,000 troops along Ukraine's borders was "the largest mobilisation" in Europe in decades, adding that there has been a spike in cyberattacks and Russian disinformation.
"And they are attempting, without any factual basis, to paint Ukraine and Western countries as the aggressors to fabricate a pretext for the attack," she said.
Nebenzia blamed the US for the 2014 ouster of a Kremlin-friendly president in Kiev, saying it brought to power "nationalists, radicals, Russophobes and pure Nazis," and created the antagonism that exists between Ukraine and Russia.
"If they hadn't done this, then we to date would be living in a spirit of good neighbourly relations and mutual cooperation," Nebenzia said.
"However, some in the West just don't clearly like this positive scenario. What's happening today is yet another attempt to drive a wedge between Russia and Ukraine."
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China against 'megaphone diplomacy'
Nebenzia pointedly left the council chamber as the Ukrainian Ambassador Sergiy Kyslytsya started to speak. "How long Russia will pressure, will pursue a clear attempt to push Ukraine and its partners into a Kafka trap?" Kyslytsva asked.
The vote on holding an open meeting passed 10-2, with Russia and China opposed, and India, Gabon and Kenya abstaining. Nine "yes" votes were needed for the meeting to go ahead.
China's Ambassador Zhang Jun said he voted against the public meeting because "what is urgently needed now is quiet diplomacy, not megaphone diplomacy."
After all 15 council members spoke, the US and Russia sparred again, with Thomas-Greenfield saying she was "disappointed" in Nebenzia's comments, stressing that Russian threats of aggression are "provocative."
"I say to Russia simply this: Your actions will speak for themselves," the US envoy said.
Nebenzia shot back: "Everything that we wanted to say is in our statement today. However, we really just don't understand what threats and provocations and escalation by Russia are being talked about."
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