US Special Representative To The UN Denied Reports Of Deportation Of Ukrainians To Russia

US Ambassador to the UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield speaks at a United Nations Security Council meeting on threats to international peace and security following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in New York, USA, March 7, 2022. REUTERS/Carlo Allegri/ File Photo

WASHINGTON, March 20 – Reports that thousands of residents of the besieged Ukrainian port city of Mariupol have been forcibly deported to Russia are “alarming” and “unconscionable” if true, US Ambassador to the UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield said on Sunday . .

Speaking on CNN’s State of the Union, Thomas-Greenfield said the United States has yet to confirm the allegations made on Saturday by the Mariupol City Council via its Telegram channel. More

“I just heard it. I cannot confirm this,” she said. “But I can say that it is alarming. It is shameless on the part of Russia to force citizens of Ukraine to enter Russia and place them in what will essentially be concentration camps and prisoner of war camps.”

Russia launched a large-scale invasion of Ukraine on February 24, sparking a conflict that has left more than 900 civilians dead and nearly 1,500 injured as of March 19, according to the UN Human Rights Office. More

Mariupol, a key link to the Black Sea, has been a target since the start of the war, which Russian President Vladimir Putin calls a “special military operation” to demilitarize and “denazify” Ukraine. Ukraine and the West say that Putin launched an unprovoked war of aggression.

The Mariupol City Council also said that Russian troops bombed an art school on Saturday, which had taken refuge for 400 residents, but the number of casualties is not yet known. More

Reuters was unable to independently verify the city council’s reports. The Russian embassy in Washington did not respond to a request for comment, but Russia denied it had targeted civilians.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Saturday called for comprehensive peace talks with Moscow. More

The United States supports these efforts, Thomas-Greenfield said on Sunday, adding that the talks “appear to be one-sided” with little Russian response.

The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) will hold an emergency meeting on Thursday to discuss the conflict and the reaction of the 30-member alliance. More

Poland will formally propose a peacekeeping mission to Ukraine at a meeting, Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said last week. More

Asked about Poland’s proposal, Thomas-Greenfield reaffirmed President Joe Biden’s commitment to refrain from bringing U.S. troops into Ukraine.

“Other NATO countries may decide that they want to send troops to the territory of Ukraine,” she said. “That will be the decision they have to make.”

“WE ARE TRYING TO DO THE BEST WE CAN”

Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas, speaking on CNN later Sunday, said she would pressure NATO to build up its military capabilities in Eastern Europe and urge all member countries to dedicate at least 2% of their gross domestic product to defense .

Kallas said the accusations of deporting Ukrainians to Russia are reminiscent of the thousands of Estonians sent to Siberian labor camps in the 1940s.

“Now we are in a different position because we are NATO allies,” she said. “But we are trying to do everything we can to support and help Ukraine fight this war.”

Turkey is also trying to mediate a ceasefire in Ukraine, which was praised by NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg in an interview on NBC’s Meet the Press on Sunday.

“Turkey is making real efforts to facilitate and support negotiations between Russia and Ukraine,” Stoltenberg said. “It is too early to say whether these negotiations can lead to any concrete result.”

Earlier this month, NATO rejected Ukrainian calls to create a “no-fly zone” over Ukraine to help it protect its skies from Russian missiles and warplanes. More

Asked on Sunday whether a no-fly zone would be considered if Russia used chemical weapons in Ukraine, Stoltenberg expressed concern that such a move could escalate the conflict.

“Our allies support Ukraine,” he said. “But at the same time, it is extremely important that we do not allow this conflict to turn into a full-fledged war between NATO and Russia, which will cause much more damage, much more death, destruction than what we are seeing now in Ukraine.”

Reporting by Ted Hesson and Richard Cowan in Washington; Editing by Scott Malone and Bill Burcroth

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