The United States has accused Russia of a “dangerous and inexplicable escalation” of its nearly four-year war in Ukraine, at a time when US President Donald Trump is trying to advance negotiations towards peace.
The US issued its latest warning on Monday, during an emergency meeting of the United Nations Security Council.
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“Russia’s action risks expanding and intensifying the war,” Tammy Bruce, the US’s deputy ambassador to the UN, told the council.
The US expressed particular alarm about Russia’s use of a nuclear-capable Oreshnik ballistic missile last week, which resulted in a “staggering number of casualties” in Ukraine.
“At a moment of tremendous potential, due only to President Trump’s unparalleled commitment to peace around the world, both sides should be seeking ways to de-escalate,” Bruce said.
Still, hours later on Tuesday morning, Russia launched a new round of strikes on Ukraine’s northeastern city of Kharkiv, killing at least four people and wounding at least six others.
Missile strikes were also reported in the capital, Kyiv, but their impact could not be immediately assessed.
Ukraine called for the Security Council meeting after Russia bombarded the country last Thursday with hundreds of drones and dozens of missiles, including the Oreshnik missile.
That attack was only the second time Russia had launched the powerful Oreshnik missile in a combat scenario, and its use was widely interpreted as a clear warning to Kyiv’s NATO allies.
At Monday’s meeting, Bruce reminded Russia that, nearly a year ago, it voted in favour of a UN Security Council resolution calling for an end to the conflict in Ukraine.
“In the spirit of that resolution, Russia, Ukraine and Europe must pursue peace seriously and bring this nightmare to an end.”
On Monday, Moscow acknowledged the Oreshnik attack, which it said targeted an aviation repair factory in the Lviv region in western Ukraine. It said the missile was fired in response to Ukraine’s attempt to strike one of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s residences, a claim that Kyiv has denied and the US has dismissed as inaccurate.
Last week’s large-scale Russian attack came days after Ukraine and its Western allies reported progress towards an agreement to defend the country from further Moscow aggression if a US-led peace deal is struck.
The attack also coincided with a new chill in relations between Moscow and Washington.
The Kremlin recently condemned the US seizure of a Russian-flagged oil tanker in the North Atlantic, calling the military action a violation of international law. Trump, meanwhile, has signalled that he is on board with a hard-hitting sanctions package meant to economically cripple Russia.
Moscow has given no public signal it is willing to budge from its maximalist demands on Ukraine, including that the global community recognise its annexation of Ukrainian territory.
At Monday’s Security Council meeting, Russia’s UN ambassador, Vassily Nebenzia, instead blamed the diplomatic impasse on Ukraine.
Nebenzia said that, until Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy “comes to his senses and agrees to realistic conditions for negotiations, we will continue solving the problem by military means”.
“He was warned long ago, with each passing day, each day which he squanders, the conditions for negotiations will only get worse for him,” Nebenzia added.
Ukraine’s UN ambassador, Andrii Melnyk, countered that Russia is more vulnerable now than at any time since the start of its full-scale invasion in February 2022, with its economy slowing and oil revenue down.
“Russia wants to sell to this council and the whole UN family the impression that it is invincible, but this is another illusion,” he told the council.
“The carefully staged image of strength is nothing but smoke and mirrors, completely detached from reality.”
Early on Tuesday, Kharkiv Regional Governor Oleh Syniehubov confirmed the deaths of at least four people and the wounding of six others following the latest Russian strike.
Kharkiv Mayor Ihor Terekhov also said a Russian long-range drone struck a medical facility for children, causing a fire.
In Kyiv, Mayor Vitali Klitschko said air defences were in operation after Russia launched missiles targeting the city.