UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) – Russia on Monday failed to keep a U.N. Security Council session on the Ukraine crisis behind closed doors, which provides the United States and other members with a public forum to criticize Moscow for its troop buildup.
China joined Russia in voting against a public session, while India, Gabon and Kenya abstained and the remaining 10 members supported keeping the meeting open.
Russian Ambassador to the U.N. Vassily Nebenzia urged the 15-member body to oppose opening the session, denouncing what he called “megaphone diplomacy.”
He criticized what he said was interference in the domestic affairs of Russia, which triggered the crisis by amassing more than 100,000 troops on Ukraine’s borders, fueling concerns that it will invade.
Moscow insists that it has no intention to attack. The United States says that Russia is now positioned to invade if it decides to do so.
Before the meeting, Chinese Ambassador Zhang Jun said that his government opposed an open meeting, explaining, “This is really the right time calling for quiet diplomacy.”
(Reporting by Michelle Nichols and Jonathan Landay; editing by Grant McCool)
