The United States will ask the U.N. General Assembly to suspend Russia from the Human Rights Council, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations said.
"Russia's participation on the Human Rights Council is a farce," U.S. Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield said on a visit to Romania.
"And it is wrong, which is why we believe it is time the UN General Assembly vote to remove them."
In New York, a visibly irritated Vassily Nebenzia, Russia's ambassador to the United Nations, called the attempt to exclude Russia from the council as "unbelievable", adding that it was not going to be helpful for peace talks.
"This is again unprecedented and this will not facilitate or encourage or be helpful to what is happening between Russia and the Ukrainian peace talks," Nebenzia said at a press conference.