Russia Calls UN Security Council to Address European Actions Hindering Peace Talks in Ukraine

Russia has requested a United Nations Security Council meeting this week to discuss what it describes as European attempts to impede peace negotiations concerning Ukraine, according to a senior Russian diplomat on Tuesday.

Dmitry Polyansky, the first deputy representative of Russia at the UN, indicated that the meeting is anticipated this Friday, following a request from the “European backers of the Kyiv government” for a UN Security Council session to address the humanitarian crisis in Ukraine.

“We called for this meeting in response to threats to international peace and security posed by several European nations attempting to obstruct peaceful resolutions to the Ukrainian conflict,” Polyansky stated on Telegram.

The series of meetings in New York will occur two weeks after Russia and Ukraine engaged in their first direct discussions since March 2022. Those negotiations in Istanbul led to an exchange of 1,000 prisoners by both sides over the weekend.

This prisoner swap came amid some of the most lethal missile and drone strikes on Ukraine in recent months. U.S. President Donald Trump reacted with a notable criticism, labeling Russian President Vladimir Putin as “absolutely crazy” and cautioning against potential new sanctions.

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov downplayed Trump’s comments, noting that emotions are heightened during the Ukraine peace discussions.

On Tuesday, Peskov dismissed U.S. media claims suggesting that Trump is contemplating further sanctions against Russia. He argued that such reports are part of a “campaign meant to disrupt the peace process” and labeled Europe as an “indirect participant in the war against Russia.”

Polyansky accused European allies of Ukraine of “misinterpreting the desired tone of the new American administration” while trying to maintain the Ukraine conflict “active at the Security Council.”

“It seems the patience of our adversaries at the UN, who are anticipating the outcomes of the Istanbul peace talks and President Trump’s response to them, has worn thin,” Polyansky wrote.

During the discussions on May 16 in Istanbul, Russia and Ukraine also consented to draft a memorandum regarding a potential future peace agreement.

Ukrainian and European officials have charged Moscow with stalling ceasefire negotiations and lacking sincerity in their discussions. Russia has denied these allegations, asserting that it has no desire to impede the peace process.