WASHINGTON – Ukraine’s ambassador to the United Nations said on Monday that Kyiv still hopes for a diplomatic resolution with Russia even as Moscow sends more troops and weapons to its border.

At a United Nations Security Council meeting, Sergiy Kyslytsya, Ukrainian Ambassador, stated that Russia could have questions about Ukraine.

Although the Ukrainian diplomat isn’t a member, he was invited to join the group as the situation escalates at the border of his country. He refuted Russian claims that Kyiv is ready to launch an attack.

Kyslytsya stated that Ukraine isn’t going to launch any military offensive in Ukraine, either in Donbass or Crimea, nor elsewhere.

“The Kremlin needs to remember that Ukraine can defend itself. “We also believe in keeping diplomatic channels open to Russia,” he said.

As an estimated 100,000 soldiers are equipped with modern weaponry, they line Ukraine’s northern border with Belarus and its eastern border with Russia. This is a Moscow allies.

Kyslytsya, who spoke after the two-hour meeting to journalists at the United Nations said that everyone should prevent war.

He said that “Everyone will be affected, even though you’re far from Ukraine”, referring to possible economic consequences of war.

At the international forum the U.S. ambassador and Russia’s ambassador clashed, but there was no action taken or joint declaration from the participants.

Vasily Nebenzya, the Russian ambassador to Russia, blamed America for “provoking an escalation at the border” and falsely accusing Moscow that it was preparing for invasion of Ukraine.

Nebenzya stated in comments directed towards the U.S., “You are waiting for it not to happen. As if your words will become reality.” Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield.

Nebenzya called U.S. “particularly hypocritical”, for convening U.N. Security Council.

He said, “It is the Americans that hold the record of having troops presences beyond their territory.” He added, “The U.S. military has killed hundreds of thousands civilians in places where they are supposed to bring peace and democracy.”

Thomas-Greenfield justified her decision to ask for the meeting on behalf the United States.

You’ve been told by our Russian counterparts that this is a meeting we want to cause you discomfort. “Imagine how uncomfortably it would feel to have 100,000 troops on your borders in the manner that they are on the Ukraine border,” she stated.

You can hear me saying that this was the largest European mobilization in years. Russia has sent more soldiers and arms as they speak,” she added. “What does it mean to the world that former empires have permission to reclaim territory through force? It would lead us on dangerous paths.”

Russia can, however choose to follow a different route. Thomas-Greenfield said that the path of diplomacy was still possible.

White House: President Joe Biden told reporters that he had a productive discussionLast week with Volodymyr Zelenskyy (Ukranian President).

Biden reiterated the U.S.’s readiness to respond to any Russian aggression, no matter how it happens.

A top Pentagon official warned last week that they were preparing to take action against the aftermath of a Russian invasion of Ukraine would be “horrific.”

Given the types of forces being arrayed in Ukraine, it would be significant to unleash the ground maneuver force, artillery and ballistic missiles on the country. All of this could then be packaged together. “If that were unleashed upon Ukraine, it’d be significant, very significant and it would result to a significant number of casualties,” U.S. Army Gen. Mark Milley said Friday, as the Chair of Joint Chiefs of Staff.

Milley said, “It would have been horrific.”

Milley, the nation’s most senior military officer, stated that Russia’s attitude towards Ukraine’s border is unlike any he’s seen in his four-decade-long military career.

He stated that the Russians deployed military forces, air and naval special forces to Ukraine’s frontier.

According to the Kremlin, troop deployments cannot be considered a prelude for an attack. Instead the Kremlin describes them as military exercises.

Russian officials repeatedly called upon the U.S. not to allow an expansion eastward of NATO’s military alliance.

Russia has also demanded that the U.S. “shall not establish military bases” in the territories of any former Soviet states that are not already members of NATO, or “use their infrastructure for any military activities or develop bilateral military cooperation with them.”

NATO and the U.S. previously denied that the Kremlin could request such an arrangement.