Russia defended its UNSC presidency on Monday amid a barrage of criticism from different countries. Russia will preside over the UN Security Council for April. Many countries, including Ukraine, showed their concern over Russia’s presidency during a time when Russia and Ukraine are at war with each other.
Defending its stance, Russia insisted that it will not abuse its position to defend its invasion of Ukraine. “We do not abuse the prerogatives of the presidency”, said the Russian ambassador to the United Nations, Vassily Nebenzia.
“One thing is the national position. The second thing is the role of the presidency of the Security Council,” he said at a press conference marking Russia’s assumption of the rotating position.
The situation provoked stinging criticism from Ukraine, which called it a “slap in the face to the international community” and from its allies.
“As you know, Russia is assuming its seat as president of the Security Council. Started on April 1. It’s like an April Fool’s joke,” said Linda Thomas-Greenfield, the US ambassador.
“But the truth of the matter is, it’s a rotating seat. We expect that they will behave professionally,” she said.
“But we also expect that they will use their seat to spread disinformation and to promote their agenda as it relates to Ukraine, and we will stand ready to call them out at every single moment that they attempt to do that,” the ambassador added.
Ukraine and the West have for months been denouncing Russian ‘propaganda’ over its invasion of Ukraine in February last year.
Watch | Ukraine decries ‘symbolic blow’ as Russia assumes UNSC Presidency
Nebenzia said such criticism was in the “vein of the Western narrative” and in turn accused Kyiv’s allies of spreading disinformation in particular about “the situation of Ukrainian children who were allegedly kidnapped from Ukraine and brought to Russia against their will”.
The International Criminal Court (ICC) has issued an arrest warrant against Russian President Vladimir Putin on charges of war crimes for the illegal deportation of Ukrainian children during the war.
The Russian ambassador replied and called the warrant ‘stupid’ and ‘illegitimate’. And not just that he is also organising an informal meeting at the UN on Wednesday to address the issue. As the permanent member of the UNSC, Russia has the power to convene emergency meetings whenever it wants them.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov is due to chair one of the UNSC meetings on selected topics, on April 24 on ‘the defence of the principles of the UN charter’.
(With inputs from agencies)
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