On December 11, Russia and the United States engaged in a fierce "war of words" at the United Nations Security Council, as the two sides accused each other of the conflict in Ukraine.

The “war of words” took place during the Security Council session on Ukraine. The session was delayed for an hour and a half after Russia insisted on opposing UN Assistant Secretary-General for Human Rights Ivan Simonovic’s report to the Security Council.

The US has accused Russia of obstructing efforts to discuss the two-year conflict in eastern Ukraine openly, while Russia’s UN ambassador Vitaly Churkin said the “US is playing a destructive role” in Ukraine.

Russian Ambassador to the United Nations Vitaly Churkin (Photo AFP).

US Ambassador to the United Nations Samantha Power, who holds the rotating presidency of the Security Council this month, said weapons and fighters were still being sent from Russia into eastern Ukraine.

Ms Power also accused Russia of supplying weapons to the opposition in the war-torn Ukraine. Russian Ambassador Churkin denied all these allegations, as well as Russia's financial support for the Ukrainian opposition.

Mr. Churkin said that the Kiev government is continuing to impose a financial blockade in the East and refusing to have direct dialogue with the opposition to resolve the crisis.

The fighting has cooled down significantly after the parties in Ukraine reached a new ceasefire agreement on September 1. However, according to the latest statistics, from mid-August to mid-November, 47 civilians were still killed and more than 130 others were injured in the war zone in Eastern Ukraine.

The conflict in eastern Ukraine over the past two years has claimed the lives of nearly 9,100 people, including civilians, soldiers and opposition forces. The number of people injured due to the conflict has reached more than 20,700./.

According to VOV