“The Russian presidency of the United Nations Security Council is a slap in the face of the international community”, lambasted, on Saturday April 1, Dmytro Kouleba, the Ukrainian Minister of Foreign Affairs. Thursday, he had already called this presidency a “bad joke” saying that “Russia has usurped its seat. It is waging a colonial war, its president is a war criminal wanted by the International Criminal Court for child abduction”.
He also called on “current members” of the UN’s executive body to “thwart any attempt” by Russia to “abuse its presidency”, which will last through the month of April. It will be headed by the head of Russian diplomacy, Sergei Lavror. On the agenda is a public debate on the theme “Effective multilateralism through the defense of the principles of the Charter of the United Nations”, as well as a session of debates on the Middle East, on April 25.
Support for Ukraine was quick to come. “We expect Russia to continue to use its headquarters to spread disinformation and try to distract from its attempts to justify its actions in Ukraine and the war crimes that members of its armed forces are committing. “, commented, Thursday, Karine Jean-Pierre, the spokesperson for the White House. For her, “a country that flagrantly violates the UN Charter and invades its neighbor has no place in the Security Council”.
Russia, for its part, says it faces the “collective West” that has ostracized it from world nations since the launch of its military offensive in Ukraine.
A diplomat at the United Nations Security Council paralleled the presidencies of the G20, the G7 or the European Union, “where you preside for six months or a year and where you inject your own agenda”. This is “a rotating presidency.” It’s every month, it’s a short presidency.” However, he clarified that “in case of abuse, we will of course react. This is not the subject. The important thing is the war in Ukraine and making sure we end it.”
The Russian presidency at the United Nations comes a week after Vladimir Putin announced that he wanted to deploy tactical nuclear weapons to Belarus, its only European diplomatic ally, heightening Western fears.
