■ US, RUSSIA FACE-OFF

U.S. Ambassador Samantha Power and her Russian counterpart Vitaly Churkin had biting exchanges during a U.N. Security Council meeting after the new U.N. secretary-general said preventing conflicts and sustaining peace are his top priorities and urged all countries to support those goals. Power lashed out at Russia for invading and annexing Ukraine’s Crimea peninsula and for its “merciless assualt” in Syria. Churkin shot back by accusing the Obama administration of “desperately” looking for scapegoats for its own failures in Iraq, Syria and Libya.

United States Ambassador Samantha Power, in one of her last appearances at the United Nations Security Council, lashed out at Russia on Wednesday for invading and annexing Ukraine’s Crimea peninsula and carrying out “a merciless military assault” in Syria.

Russian Ambassador Vitaly Churkin shot back by accusing the Obama administration of “desperately” looking for scapegoats for its own failures in Iraq, Syria and Libya.

The bitter exchanges came during a council meeting after new UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said preventing conflicts and sustaining peace are his top priorities and urged all countries to support those goals.

The clash between Power and Churkin reflected the deep divisions in the UN’s most powerful body and the difficulties Gutteres faces. They also reflected the dismal state of US-Russia relations, which Moscow has called the worst since the Cold War. /