America and Russia exchange accusations of not being interested in the Ukraine talks

The United States and Russia have accused each other of not being interested in Ukraine peace talks as calls mount at the United Nations for a ceasefire and a commitment to diplomacy to end the war.

Vasily Nebenzia, Russia's ambassador to the United Nations, told a UN Security Council meeting on the humanitarian situation in Ukraine that Moscow had noticed the interest of a large majority of UN member states in a diplomatic settlement.

He added, "We deal with that very seriously. We affirm our desire to conduct negotiations," but he added that the goal would be to remove the original reasons that prompted Russia to start the special military operation.

Nebenzia accused Western countries of not being interested in a diplomatic settlement in Ukraine as it promotes arms shipments to Kyiv instead.

In contrast, Sergey Kislitsya, Ukraine's ambassador to the United Nations, said: "Ukraine needs and wants peace more than any other country. It was our lands that were invaded... Please keep this in mind every time Moscow tries to convince us that the victim is the one." He resists peace efforts, not the aggressor."

US Deputy Ambassador to the United Nations Lisa Carty told the Security Council that "Russian President Vladimir Putin's escalation of attacks on Ukraine's infrastructure is evidence that he is not really interested in negotiation or meaningful diplomacy."

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