U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield on Thursday pushed for the U.N. Security Council to meet publicly on Ethiopia's conflict-torn Tigray region, where hundreds of thousands of people are suffering from famine.

"What are we afraid of? What are we trying to hide? The Security Council's failure is unacceptable. We have addressed other emergent crises with public meetings. But not with this one," Thomas-Greenfield told a U.S. and European Union virtual event on Tigray.

Western council members have been pitted against Russia and China, countries that diplomats say question whether the 15-member body, charged with maintaining international peace and security, should be involved in the crisis in Tigray.