People inspect cars destroyed during a Russian missile and drone strike, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kyiv, Ukraine December 29, 2023. REUTERS/Vladyslav Musiienko
(Reuters) -The United Nations Security Council met on Friday to discuss the situation in Ukraine after Ukraine and its supporters requested an urgent meeting to address missile and drone strikes by Russia, after Moscow launched its biggest air attack of the war.
Russian strikes across Ukraine on Friday killed 31 civilians and wounded more than 160 others, according to officials, and Poland said a Russian missile appeared to have flown into its airspace before returning to Ukraine.
After the meeting got underway at 4 p.m. (2100 GMT), council members including the United States, France and Britain condemned the attacks on Ukraine.
The attacks were "a desperate and futile attempt by Russia to regain momentum" in its war with Ukraine, Britain's ambassador to the UN Barbara Woodward told the council. "They will not succeed."
Ukraine's foreign minister, Dmytro Kuleba, said earlier on X that Ukraine and three dozen other UN member states had requested the Security Council meeting after the attacks, "which resulted in multiple civilian casualties and heavy destruction of civilian infrastructure."
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres condemned the attacks by Russia on Ukraine, spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said in a statement.
"Attacks against civilians and civilian infrastructure violate international humanitarian law, are unacceptable and must end immediately," Dujarric said.
(Reporting by Simon Lewis and Ronald Popeski; Editing by Leslie Adler and Daniel Wallis)
