Diplomats from dozens of countries took the floor at the United Nations on Wednesday to deplore Russia’s actions toward Ukraine and make eleventh hour pleas for diplomacy as fears of a new war in Europe grew.
Russia and ally Syria defended Moscow's decision to recognize two separatist regions of Ukraine as independent and to order Russian troops there for “peacekeeping.” But even China, which usually takes Moscow's side at the U.N., spoke up for the world body's longstanding principle of respecting countries' sovereignty and internationally recognized borders.
