The comments came as Russian President Vladimir Putin has escalated the war in Ukraine in recent weeks, pledging to mobilize hundreds of thousands of additional troops and threatening to use nuclear weapons – sparking alarm around the world. “Every member of the council must send a clear message that these reckless nuclear threats must stop immediately,” US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said during a meeting of the 15-member council, which had gathered to address the atrocities they receive country in Ukraine. Lavrov, who arrived late to the meeting and left after addressing the council for about 20 minutes, denied that Russia had committed war crimes and blamed Ukraine and its Western backers for the conflict. “What is particularly cynical is the position of the states that are pumping Ukraine full of weapons, training their soldiers,” he said, arguing that the West was doing so to “prolong the battle as long as possible, despite the casualties to wear it down. and weaken Russia.” “The decision to conduct a special military operation was inevitable,” Lavrov added. Blinken and other officials said the onus is on Russia to end the war. “One man chose this war. And one man can finish it,” Blinken said. “Because if Russia stops fighting, the war ends. If Ukraine stops fighting, Ukraine ends.” Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba, who spoke after Lavrov left, said Russian lies fueled Ukrainian pain. “Russian diplomats are directly complicit because their lies instigate these crimes and cover them up,” Kuleba said. The council met a day after Putin ordered the mobilization of army reserves to support Moscow’s troubled campaign in Ukraine, warning he would use Russia’s nuclear arsenal if its “territorial integrity is threatened”. Moscow is also planning votes in four occupied regions of Ukraine on the question of joining Russia, which the US and other powers have called a fraud. Western countries have vowed not to recognize Moscow’s attempts to annex occupied Ukrainian territory and have warned that Russia will face consequences if it does so. UK Foreign Secretary James Cleverley, who spoke after Lavrov, described his comments as “distortions, dishonesty and misinformation”. “I don’t think Mr. Lavrov wants to hear the collective condemnation of the council,” Smart said, noting that the Russian diplomat had left the room. Several officials present at the council also highlighted their concerns about Russia’s nuclear threats. “The trajectory of the conflict in Ukraine is of deep concern to the entire international community,” said Indian Foreign Minister S Jaishankar. “The nuclear issue is a particular stress.”

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi addressed the Security Council on Thursday and called for negotiations to end the conflict, but stopped short of criticizing Russia. Both Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping last week expressed their concern to Putin about the escalation of the war. Western diplomats said their public rift with Russia showed Moscow’s growing isolation. Ukraine, the US and other world powers have accused Russia of committing war crimes, while Moscow denies targeting civilians in what it has described as a “special military operation”. While the meeting provided an opportunity for a tense confrontation, the council can do little to punish Russia for its actions because Moscow is a permanent member of the Security Council with veto power.