WASHINGTON --
The U.S. labored Sunday to ramp up diplomatic and monetary strain on Russia over Ukraine, promising to place Moscow on the defensive on the UN Safety Council as lawmakers on Capitol Hill mentioned they have been nearing settlement on "the mom of all sanctions."
The American ambassador to the United Nations mentioned the Safety Council will press Russia onerous in a Monday session to debate its massing of troops close to Ukraine and fears it's planning an invasion.
"Our voices are unified in calling for the Russians to clarify themselves," Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield mentioned of the U.S. and the opposite council members on ABC's "This Week." "We're going into the room ready to hearken to them, however we're not going to be distracted by their propaganda."
Ukraine's ambassador to the U.S., Oksana Markarova, warned that Russian President Vladimir Putin is bent on waging an "assault on democracy," not simply on a single nation. It is a case that some senior international coverage figures have urged President Joe Biden to make, together with on the Safety Council.
"If Ukraine shall be additional attacked by Russia, in fact they won't cease in Ukraine," Markarova mentioned on CBS's "Face the Nation."
Any formal motion by the Safety Council is extraordinarily unlikely, given Russia's veto energy and its ties with others on the council, together with China. However the U.S. referral of Russia's troop buildup to the United Nations' strongest physique offers each side a stage of their struggle for international opinion.
Russia's massing of an estimated 100,000 troops close to the border with Ukraine has introduced more and more robust warnings from the West that Moscow intends to invade. Russia is demanding that NATO promise by no means to permit Ukraine to hitch the alliance, and to cease the deployment of NATO weapons close to Russian borders and roll again its forces from Jap Europe. NATO and the U.S. name these calls for inconceivable.
The pinnacle of Russia's Safety Council, Nikolai Patrushev, on Sunday rejected Western warnings about an invasion.
"Presently, they're saying that Russia threatens Ukraine -- that is fully ridiculous," he was quoted as saying by state information company Tass. "We do not need conflict and we do not want it in any respect."
Ukraine's international minister, Dmytro Kuleba, countered that on Twitter, saying: "If Russian officers are severe after they say they do not need a new conflict, Russia should proceed diplomatic engagement and pull again navy forces."
The US and European nations say a Russian invasion would set off heavy sanctions.
On Sunday, the chairman of the Senate Overseas Relations Committee, Sen. Bob Menendez, mentioned that within the occasion of an assault, lawmakers need Russia to face "the mom of all sanctions." That features actions in opposition to Russian banks that would severely undermine the Russian financial system and elevated deadly help to Ukraine's navy.
The sanctions into consideration would apparently be considerably stronger than these imposed after Russia annexed Crimea from Ukraine in 2014. These penalties have been seen as ineffective.
Menendez additionally raised the prospect of imposing some punishments preemptively, earlier than any invasion.
"There are some sanctions that basically might happen up entrance, due to what Russia's already carried out -- cyberattacks on Ukraine, false-flag operations, the efforts to undermine the Ukrainian authorities internally," the New Jersey Democrat mentioned on CNN.
The will to hit Russia tougher financially over its strikes on Ukraine has been a uncommon space of bipartisan settlement in Congress. However Republicans and Democrats have been divided over the timing of any new sanctions bundle.
Many GOP members are pushing for the U.S. to impose robust penalties instantly as an alternative of ready for Russia to ship new troops into Ukraine. The Biden administration and lots of Democratic lawmakers argue that imposing sanctions now in opposition to Putin would take away any deterrent to invasion.
Sen. James Risch of Idaho, the rating Republican on the Overseas Relations Committee, informed CNN he's "greater than cautiously optimistic" that Republicans and Democrats will be capable of resolve their variations over the timing of sanctions.
Russia has lengthy resented NATO's granting of membership to nations that have been as soon as a part of the Soviet Union or have been in its sphere of affect as members of the Warsaw Pact.
NATO "has already come near Ukraine. In addition they wish to drag this nation there," Russian Overseas Minister Sergey Lavrov mentioned on Sunday, "though everybody understands that Ukraine will not be prepared and will make no contribution to strengthening NATO safety."
Ukraine has sought NATO membership for years, however any prospects of becoming a member of seem far off because the nation struggles to search out political stability and assault corruption.
Sen. Dick Durbin, an Illinois Democrat and member of the Senate's Ukraine Caucus, urged that Ukraine's backing off its NATO aspirations might expedite a diplomatic resolution to the present disaster.
If Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy "decides that the longer term membership, if there's to be one in NATO for Ukraine, and the query of the Russian occupation of Ukraine are two issues to placed on the desk, I believe we might transfer towards an answer to this," Durbin mentioned on NBC.
Ukraine has not proven indicators of willingness to make concessions on potential alliance membership. It isn't clear whether or not Durbin's suggestion has broader backing.
Lavrov additionally underlined Russia's competition that NATO enlargement is a menace, saying the alliance has engaged in offensive actions outdoors its member nations.
"It's troublesome to name it defensive. Don't forget that they bombed Yugoslavia for nearly three months, invaded Libya, violating the UN Safety Council decision, and the way they behaved in Afghanistan," he mentioned.
The U.S. and NATO have formally rejected Russia's calls for about halting NATO enlargement, although Washington outlined areas the place discussions are potential, providing hope there may very well be a technique to keep away from conflict.
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Heintz reported from Moscow.
On this handout picture launched by The State Duma, The Federal Meeting of The Russian Federation Press Service, Russian Overseas Minister Sergey Lavrov addresses the State Duma, the Decrease Home of the Russian Parliament in Moscow, Russia on Jan. 26, 2022. (The State Duma, The Federal Meeting of The Russian Federation Press Service through AP)
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