NEW YORK, January 31. /TASS/. Russian deputy envoy to the United Nations said the US was more concerned about Ukraine than Ukraine itself amid reports of Russia’s purported plans to invade the country.
"How thoughtful of our US friends!" Dmitry Polyansky, first deputy permanent representative of Russia to the UN, said on Twitter. "Russia doesn’t worry about the attack, Ukraine doesn’t worry either (we are allegedly "encouraging them not to"), only US is vigilant!"
Polyansky said it looked like the US ambassador to the UN considered the organization’s Security Council to be "a club of worried people with US telling them what to worry about."
He referred to comments by Linda Thomas-Greenfield aired on ABC on Sunday where she responded to reports that the Ukrainian president and his team said the US exaggerated the purported Russian threat.
Thomas-Greenfield said in the ABC comments that Russia is using disinformation.
"They are encouraging Ukrainians not to worry about an attack, but we know that the attack is possible," she said.
CNN earlier reported, citing sources in the US administration that tension had been building between Washington and Kiev. According to the American TV channel, US President Joe Biden and his advisers were annoyed that Ukraine "downplays of the threat" of an alleged imminent invasion and that US backing "is being met without much thanks" from the Ukrainian leadership.
For its part, Kiev has branded the US assessment of the situation as an "overreaction" that "is inciting panic and economic turmoil" inside Ukraine while "at the same time the US refuses to take preemptive deterrence measures such as imposing new sanctions on Russia," the CNN report said.
The US plans to discuss the situation around Ukraine at a UN Security Council meeting on Monday. Polyansky earlier billed the proposal as a "PR stunt that’s shameful for UNSC reputation," saying Washington is seeking to disguise its groundless allegations as a threat to international peace and security.