The United States and its allies rounded on Russia during an emergency Security Council session Monday, denouncing Vladimir Putin's recognition of rebel-held areas in Ukraine and his ordered deployment of troops as a gross violation of international law and "pretext for war."

Addressing the council, US Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield heaped scorn on Putin's assertion that the Russian troops would take on a peacekeeping role in the Donetsk and Lugansk areas.

"He calls them peacekeepers. This is nonsense. We know what they really are," Thomas-Greenfield said.

Ukraine's ambassador Sergiy Kyslytsya insisted that his country's borders remain "unchangeable" despite Russia's actions.

Meanwhile, Russia's ambassador to the UN, Vasily Nebenzya, said Moscow is still "open to diplomacy for a diplomatic solution" - but warned against what he dubbed Ukrainian aggression.

"Allowing a new bloodbath in the Donbass is something we do not intend to do," he added, referring to the region encompassing Donetsk and Lugansk.

Putin's order has been widely seen as paving the way for an operation to deploy part of the potential invasion force he has massed on Ukraine's borders.

In a lengthy televised national address announcing his recognition of the rebel-held areas, Putin railed against Ukraine as a failed state and "puppet" of the West, repeatedly suggesting it was essentially part of Russia.

Thomas-Greenfield said the speech amounted to a "series of outrageous, false claims" that were aimed at "creating a pretext for war."

Her remarks came just before a White House spokesperson told AFP that Washington on Tuesday would impose sanctions on Moscow following Putin's order.

- 'Critical' moment -
Russia - which currently holds the rotating presidency of the Council - had wanted the session to be closed, but the United States insisted it be public.

Multiple countries had requested Monday's emergency meeting based on a letter from Ukraine that demanded its representative be able to attend.

Speaking before the UN late Monday, Kyslytsya challenged the Security Council to defy Russian intimidation, saying: "The United Nations is sick."

"It's been hit by the virus spread by the Kremlin. Will it succumb to this virus?" he said.

"It is in the hands of the membership."

The Under-Secretary-General for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs, Rosemary DiCarlo, voiced "regret" that Russian troops were ordered to eastern Ukraine.

"The next hours and days will be critical," DiCarlo said. "The risk of major conflict is real and needs to be prevented at all costs."

Putin's recognition of the separatist republics effectively buries a fragile 2015 peace plan for the conflict, and opens the door for direct Russian military involvement.

Moscow provided no details or date for any deployment of the "peacekeeping" forces, only saying that it "comes into force from the day it was signed."

British envoy Barbara Woodward said the council must be united in urging Russia to "de-escalate" and "respect its obligations."

"Russia has brought us to the brink. We urge Russia to step back," Woodward said, as China called for restraint by "all sides."

Geraldine Byrne Nason, Ireland's ambassador to the UN, called Russia's actions "a flagrant violation of international law," saying the "unilateral step" had "cast into doubt all the diplomatic efforts of past weeks."

Martin Kimani of Kenya pointed out that many countries were "birthed by the ending of empire" and urged against "dangerous nostalgia" for past borders, saying Russia's move "breaches the territorial integrity of Ukraine."

"Multilateralism lies on its deathbed tonight. It has been assaulted today, as it has been by other powerful states in the recent past," Kimani said.

Ukraine seeks urgent UN Security Council meeting over Russia threat
Kyiv (AFP) Feb 21, 2022 - Ukraine on Monday requested an urgent meeting of the UN Security Council to address the threat of a Russian invasion, citing security assurances it received in return for giving up its nuclear arsenal in 1994.

The agreement, co-signed by Russia, the United States and Britain, assured Ukraine that its "territorial integrity or political independence" would be respected in return for its decision to move all its nuclear weapons to Russia.

The independent republic of Ukraine inherited the world's third-largest nuclear arsenal when the Soviet Union formally dissolved in 1991.

"On President (Volodymyr) Zelensky's initiative I officially requested UNSC member states to immediately hold consultations under article 6 of the Budapest memorandum," Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba tweeted.

The Security Council must address "practical steps to guarantee the security of Ukraine," he wrote.

Article 6 of the 1994 agreement says Moscow, Washington and London "will consult in the event a situation arises" that puts Ukraine's security under threat.

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Belarus says Russian forces to remain for more drills
Moscow (AFP) Feb 20, 2022
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