US slams Russian peacekeepers in Ukraine as 'nonsense'

Deployment of what Russia called a peacekeeping operation in eastern Ukraine is nonsense and Moscow's recognition of the breakaway regions as independent is part of its pretext for war, said US to UN.

The deployment of what Russia called a peacekeeping operation in eastern Ukraine is "nonsense" and Moscow's recognition of the breakaway regions as independent is part of its pretext for war, the United States told the U.N. Security Council on Monday.

The consequences of Russia's actions "will be dire - across Ukraine, across Europe, and across the globe," U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, told the emergency meeting of the 15-member council.