Moscow looking for Iran, North Korea arms? Present us proof, says Russia By Reuters

By Michelle Nichols

UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) – Russia demanded on the United Nations on Thursday that the US and Britain present proof to help their allegations that Moscow was looking for drones from Iran and rockets and artillery shells from North Korea to make use of in Ukraine.

“I wish to ask them now to both present us with proof or acknowledge that they’re disseminating unreliable data,” Russia’s U.N. Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia informed the 15-member Safety Council.

The US has accused Iran of supplying drones to Russia to be used in its conflict in Ukraine, which Tehran has denied. Washington additionally accused Moscow of being “within the course of” of buying thousands and thousands of rockets and artillery shells from North Korea, deputy U.S. Ambassador Richard Mills informed the council.

“Russia is popping to Iran to provide UAVs (unmanned aerial autos) and, in a transparent violation of U.N. sanctions, to North Korea to provide ammunition,” Britain’s U.N. Ambassador Barbara Woodward (NASDAQ:) mentioned.

Russia referred to as the Safety Council assembly on Ukraine – the physique’s third in as many days – to debate the provision of international weapons to Kyiv. The US, Britain, France and others defended the billions of {dollars} in navy help delivered to Ukraine since Russian forces invaded on Feb. 24.

“Russia’s claims that the US and the ‘West’ is escalating and prolonging this battle are false,” Mills mentioned. “They’re cynical makes an attempt to deflect consideration from Moscow’s function as the only real aggressor in what’s pointless and brutal conflict, for which the world is paying a collective value.”

Russian President Vladimir Putin calls the invasion a “particular navy operation” to disarm its neighbor and try and preemptively defend his nation’s safety towards the enlargement of NATO, the Western navy alliance.

Ukraine on Thursday hailed a lightning counteroffensive it mentioned had recaptured swathes of its territory within the east and south, as U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken visited the nation to pledge additional assist.

“We’re very far nonetheless from the tip of this damaging course of,” Nebenzia informed the council. “Western weaponry isn’t enjoying a decisive function on the battlefield, no matter what the Ukrainians and their vassals are saying.”

Ukraine’s U.N. Ambassador Sergiy Kyslytsya mentioned: “We are going to combat towards the occupiers till all of the Russian troopers who entered Ukraine to kill its individuals are defeated.”