Russia to Hold Mysterious U.N. Security Council Meeting on Ukraine 

A Russian envoy to the United Nations suggested Moscow would deliver a sharp riposte to criticism of its invasion of Ukraine and hold an informal meeting at the organisation to outline its stance.

The first deputy permanent representative to the United Nations, Dmitry Polyanskiy, took aim at the nature of U.N. discussions about the war in Ukraine in a Telegram post on January 12, the Russian state-run news agency Tass reported.

In the post, Polyanskiy criticized how on January 13, "western sponsors of Ukraine" would hold a meeting "the exact topic of which they cannot even formulate." He said that "once a month" U.N. members would push an "anti-Russian" slant during discussions about the war.

He then issued an ambiguous warning about upcoming U.N. meetings, writing: "I will not expand on what will happen in the Security Council at our suggestion in Ukraine at the beginning of next week."

"Let our opponents stay in the dark," he said, adding that following "an 'anti-Russian' session we will seek to initiate a meeting on a topic that's uncomfortable for them."

A U.N. meeting will take place on Tuesday at 3 p.m. in which Ukraine will be on the agenda, a United Nations spokesperson confirmed to Newsweek.

Polyanskiy also wrote on Telegram that on Friday at 7 p.m. Moscow time (11 a.m. ET), "we are holding 'Arria formula' UNSC meeting about the December shelling of Donbas" —referring to the region in eastern Ukraine. An "Arria formula" meeting is an informal gathering that must be convened by a Security Council member.

"There will be interesting speakers and facts," Polyanskiy said, "as you know, at such meetings, unlike the formal meetings of the Security Council, we can demonstrate video and photo materials. I will write about this meeting closer to the point."

When contacted by Newsweek, Polyanskiy said: "We asked for it. I don't think we will give any more information before the meeting."

Newsweek has reached out to the Russian foreign ministry and the United Nations Security Council for comment.

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky wants to address the 193-member General Assembly on the eve of the first anniversary of Russia's February 24 invasion, the Ukrainian foreign ministry said.

A final decision has not yet been made but a speech would only take place pending the military situation on the ground in Ukraine, the country's first deputy foreign minister Emine Dzhaparova said last week.

Ukraine's U.N. ambassador, Sergiy Kyslytsya, said the General Assembly had scheduled a debate on the war on February 23, which will be followed by a ministerial meeting of the Security Council the next day.

Dzhaparova said Kyiv wants the assembly to adopt one of the two resolutions that Zelensky has put forward, the Associated Press reported.

One is Zelensky's 10-point peace formula, which includes the restoration of his country's territorial integrity and the withdrawal of Russian forces. The other would establish a tribunal to prosecute Moscow for crimes of aggression.

Update 01/18/23, 4:30 a.m. ET: This article has been updated with comment from Dmitry Polyanskiy