UN Security Council set to meet on Ukraine crisis: Live updates | Ukraine-Russia crisis News

January 31, 2022 admin

World body prepares for talks as fears of an imminent Russian invasion grow.

The UN Security Council is scheduled to meet for the first time on Russia’s troop buildup near Ukraine at the request of the United States, and all key players are expected to square off in public over the possibility of a Russian invasion.

Monday’s meeting in New York comes days after intensified Western warnings that Moscow could attack Ukraine this month.

Denials from Moscow and pleas from Ukraine’s president for no unnecessary “panic” have failed to ease the growing concerns.

Kyiv’s Western allies – including the United States and the European Union – have repeatedly threatened to roll out sweeping economic sanctions on Russia should it roll its military into Ukraine.

Moscow meanwhile has demanded NATO curb its activity in Eastern Europe and never allow Ukraine to become a member.

Here are all the latest updates:

26 mins ago (09:53 GMT)

The UN Security Council and its role in the Ukraine crisis

The US has described the UNSC meeting, which Washington requested, as a chance for Russia to explain itself.
But Moscow signalled it could try and block the meeting of the 15-member body. Nine votes are needed for it to proceed.
Aside from members having the opportunity to air their views openly, there will be no action by the Council – even if Russia were to invade Ukraine. A simple statement needs consensus support and Russia could veto any bid for a resolution.
Russia is one of five permanent, veto-wielding powers on the council along with China, France, the United Kingdom and the US.
On Tuesday, Russia takes over the Council’s rotating presidency for February. The largely administrative role does involve scheduling meetings, so some diplomats warn Moscow could delay future attempts by council members to request discussions on the crisis.

49 mins ago (09:30 GMT)

Russian navy concludes anti-submarine drills

Vessels of Russia’s Northern Fleet have completed anti-submarine drills in the Norwegian Sea, the Russian defence ministry has said.

The ministry said in a statement that a Russian missile cruiser and a frigate aided by a specially equipped helicopter practised various ways of locating submarines during the manoeuvres.

The drills were part of a broader naval exercise involving more than 140 vessels from all of Russia’s fleets in the Atlantic and Pacific oceans and the North, Okhotsk and Mediterranean seas.

1 hour ago (09:00 GMT)

UK threatens sanctions on those ‘with closest links to the Kremlin’

The UK will sanction businesses and people with the closest links to Russian President Vladimir Putin if Moscow takes any action against Ukraine, Chief Secretary to the Treasury Simon Clarke has said.

“We are very clear that if Russia takes further action against Ukraine, then we will further tighten the sanctions regime targeting those businesses and people with the closest links to the Kremlin,” Clarke told UK broadcaster Sky News.

Since the 1991 fall of the Soviet Union, London has become the pre-eminent global centre for a vast outflow of money from former Soviet republics.

2 hours ago (08:00 GMT)

Rouble heads towards one-week high vs dollar

The rouble has strengthened and is approaching a one-week high versus the dollar after Moscow’s indication last week that it is ready to continue dialogue with the West over Ukraine.

At 07:30 GMT, the rouble was 0.4 percent stronger against the dollar at 77.46. It had sunk to a near 15-month low last week of 80.4125.

The currency had gained 0.2 percent to trade at 86.45 versus the euro.