Russia says peacekeepers in Ukraine without UN mandate to be considered 'legitimate targets'

By Alperen Aktas

ISTANBUL (AA) – Russia said on Monday that any peacekeeping force deployed in Ukraine without a UN Security Council mandate would be considered "legitimate targets."

"Any foreign military contingents sent to the combat zone will be, from the point of view of international law, ordinary combatants and a legitimate military target for our Armed Forces," Moscow's Permanent Representative to the UN Vasily Nebenzya said in an interview with Russian state news agency RIA.

According to Nebenzya, the UN Secretariat has adopted a “wait-and-see approach” toward Ukraine following the recent administration change in the US.

"I wouldn't say that we are talking about any significant shifts, but rather about the general line of 'not irritating the US'," he said.

Nebenzya said that the UN has a "certain negotiating potential" for potential talks on Ukraine between Russia and the US, but added that it is too early to talk about this.

He also argued that everyone is "pretty tired" of the actions taken under the administration of former US President Joe Biden, describing these actions as "impulsive and destructive."

Nebenzya went on to say that it is consequently not surprising that new hopes and fears are associated with the new US administration. "It is too early to say how this will look in practice.”

The future of Washington’s approach with regard to the UN remains uncertain, he said, and added that President Donald Trump "did not favor" the organization during his first term.