U.S. accuses Russia at UN Security Council meeting of “creating pretext for war”

Driving the news: The rare nighttime meeting was called at the request of Ukraine, the U.S. and several other countries, including the United Kingdom and France. Undersecretary-General Rosemary DiCarlo said at the session’s opening that “the risk of major conflict is real and needs to be prevented at all costs.”

What they’re saying: Linda Thomas-Greenfield, the U.S. Ambassador to the UN, took issue at the meeting with Putin’s description of Russian military activity in the breakaway provinces as “peacekeeping operations.”

• “This is nonsense,” she said. “We know what they really are,” Thomas-Greenfield added, accusing Russia of “creating a pretext for war.”
• Zhang Jun, China’s representative said at the meeting that “all parties concerned must exercise restraint and avoid any action that may fuel tensions.”