Moscow’s Ambassador to the UN Vassily Nebenzia told the UN Security Council on Feb. 10 that Russia was “not at all surprised by the recent revelations regarding the USAID activities.… We have long spoken about the fact that it has been financing radical elements throughout the world,” even though Russia’s warnings were previously dismissed as “Russian propaganda,” according to an account in RT. Nebenzia also stated that the only “peacekeepers” Moscow will permit to be deployed to Ukraine in any possible future ceasefire, are those approved by the UN Security Council.
“Peacekeepers’ cannot operate without a mandate from the UN Security Council. Otherwise, any foreign military contingents sent into the combat zone will be regarded as ordinary combatants under international law and a legitimate military target for our armed forces,” the envoy stressed.