Russia took over the rotating presidency of the United Nations Security Council on Saturday for a month, a move that critics derided on April Fool’s Day.
“Since April 1, they are taking the level of absence to a new level,” said Sergiy Kyslytsya, Ukraine’s permanent representative, according to The Guardian.
“The security council as it is designed is immobile and incapable of addressing the issues related to its primary responsibility, which is to prevent conflicts and then deal with conflicts,” Kyslytsya said.
Ukraine is not a member of the council but has been asked to speak on matters related to the Russian invasion, but the delegate said that Kyiv would not be represented on the body except in the case of “a matter of critical national security interest”.
Russia will be allowed to hold its own sessions at the council, and The Guardian said Moscow was planning to hold three.
The first will be on “risks arising from violations of the agreements governing the export of arms and military equipment,” which is expected to attack allies for supplying arms to Ukraine.
A heavily damaged building is seen after the Russian attack in Slovenia, Donetsk region, Ukraine, March 27, 2023. (Libkos/AP)
In addition, he will have two sessions on “effective multilateralism” and the situation in the Middle East, which will be led by Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.
Israel’s Foreign Ministry is reportedly concerned by Moscow’s harsh rhetoric toward Jerusalem after Israel said it had authorized the sale of military defense equipment to Kyiv for the first time since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Although Israel and Russia have long coordinated their activities in Syrian airspace to avoid any clashes, ties have been strained since Russia invaded Ukraine last year. Although the Israeli military does not comment on specific strikes in Syria, it has admitted that it has carried out hundreds of sorties against Iranian-backed groups trying to gain a foothold in the country over the past decade.
The Guardian said that while no member nations were known to be planning a boycott of the month when Moscow heads the main security body, the United States, the United Kingdom, France and their allies were expected to step up their involvement in Russia. downgrade. events held by the panel.
US ambassador to the UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield said on Thursday that “Moscow” should not be a permanent member of the UN Security Council.
“Russia is a permanent member of the Security Council. It should not be, because of what he is doing in Ukraine, but the [UN] the Charter does not allow a change in its permanent membership,” said Thomas-Greenfield.
U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield speaks during a Security Council meeting at U.N. headquarters, Nov. 21, 2022. (Seth Wenig/AP)
The US ambassador said she expects Russia to behave “professionally” in the presidency, but expressed skepticism.
“We also expect that they will also look for opportunities to advance their disinformation campaign against Ukraine, the United States and all of our allies,” she said.
“At every opportunity, we will raise our concerns about Russia’s actions,” she said, reiterating Washington’s condemnation of Moscow’s “war crimes and human rights violations” in Ukraine.
AFP contributed to this report.
