The UN Security Council meets urgently tonight to study the situation in Ukraine, after Russian President Vladimir Putin today recognized the independence of the self-proclaimed separatist republics of Donetsk and Lugansk, in eastern Ukraine. .
The Russian mission to the UN reported on its Twitter account that the meeting will take place at 9:00 p.m. local time in New York, something very unusual not only because of the night hours but also because of the haste of its call.
Ukraine was the first to request the urgent meeting of the Security Council, a request that was later joined by France, which has a permanent seat on the Council and has so far shown a solid alliance with the United States in handling this crisis.
It so happens that Russia is presiding over the Council this February, and within the Council, the countries allied with the United States (mainly the United Kingdom, France, Ireland, Sweden, and Albania) have so far failed to gain the support of other non-European countries.
In fact, China has been closer to the Russian positions and the rest of the non-permanent member countries (Mexico, India, Gabon, the Emirates, or Kenya) have preferred to be equidistant in the previous debates on the crisis in Ukraine, which has become one of the most serious on the international scene in recent times.