Russia vetoed UN Security Council resolution on Ukraine

UNSCUN, Feb 26Russia vetoed a draft resolution of the UN Security Council calling for an immediate halt to the operation to demilitarize Ukraine, RIA Novosti correspondent reports. Eleven member countries voted for the resolution, three abstained. The authors of the draft were the United States and Albania. The text noted that «the UN Security Council supports the call of the UN Secretary General to Russia to stop the attack on Ukraine.» It also expressed «deep regret» in connection with the current situation. The authors of the document proposed to oblige Russia to stop the use of force against Ukraine and refrain from the threat of the use of force against any UN state. The UN Security Council, according to the initiators of the project, was to oblige Russia immediately, completely and, without preconditions, to withdraw all its troops from the territory of Ukraine within its internationally recognized borders.Media: The White House requested $6.4 billion «for the Ukrainian crisis» Russia was also asked to cancel the decision to recognize the Donetsk and Luhansk People's Republics. According to the draft, the UN Security Council would urge the parties to adhere to the Minsk agreements and work constructively in the relevant international mechanisms, including the Normandy format and the trilateral contact group. In the early morning of February 24, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced the launch of a special military operation to demilitarize Ukraine. In a televised address to the Russians, he said that the circumstances «require decisive and immediate action, the people's republics of Donbass turned to Russia with a request for help.» As the head of state noted, all responsibility for the bloodshed will be on the conscience of the ruling regime in Ukraine. He also called on the Ukrainian military to lay down their arms and go home. The Ministry of Defense stressed that the Russian military does not launch any missile, air or artillery strikes on Ukrainian cities: military infrastructure, air defense facilities, military airfields and aviation are disabled by high-precision weapons. The ministry assured that the civilian population is not in danger.