UN: Russia assumes Security Council Presidency – ‘Bad April Fool’s joke’

Russia, which declared war on Ukraine, will lead … security at the United Nations?

Russia takes over the presidency of the UN Security Council from Saturday, April 1, which caused a storm of reactions in the international community.

The last time Russia held the council presidency was in February 2022, when it launched its brutal attack on Ukraine.

More than a year has passed and according to regulations, Russia has assumed the presidency again, despite international outcry over the ongoing war and the fact that the International Criminal Court has issued an arrest warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin for war crimes.

In accordance with the established procedures, each of the fifteen members of the Security Council holds the presidency for a period of one month. On April 1, Mozambique again handed over the baton to Russia.

It should be noted that, despite the reactions of Ukraine, the United States and the world community, no one can hinder the official process.

Ukraine: “The worst joke”

Ukraine’s foreign minister, Dmytro Kuleba, expressed his outrage at Russia’s assumption of the presidency of the UN Security Council on March 30.

Of his position, he says, “The Russian presidency of the UN Security Council on April 1 is a bad joke.

He said, “Russia has usurped its headquarters and is waging a colonial war, and its leader is a war criminal wanted by the International Criminal Court for kidnapping children.” Dmytro Kuleba wrote, “The world cannot be safe with Russia in the United Nations Security Council.”

In the hashtag, in fact, he writes about the “Security Council”.

Russia’s presidency of the UN Security Council on April 1 is a bad joke. Russia usurped its seat. It is waging a colonial war. Its leader is a war criminal wanted by the International Criminal Court for child abduction. The world cannot be a safe place with Russia in the Security Council # Bad Russian joke # Security Council

– Dmytro Kuleba (@DmytroKuleba) March 30, 2023

The Ukrainian presidential advisor, Mykhailo Podolak, said that this step violates international human rights norms and covenants, adding that the issue of the use of nuclear weapons was raised in the context of suspicion.

Volodymyr Zelensky called on Russia to withdraw from the UN Security Council, stating that as a permanent member it can veto any resolution.

The Security Council has a total of 15 members, 10 non-permanent and 5 permanent (Russia, the United States, Britain, France and China), and the permanent members have the final say in any decision.

Feedback from us

The US ambassador to the UN, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, said last week that Russia “should not” be a “permanent member of the Security Council”:

“Russia is a permanent member of the Security Council. It shouldn’t be, because of what it is doing in Ukraine, but the (UN) charter does not allow changing its status as a permanent member.”

He added that the United States would convey, on every occasion, its concerns about Russia’s actions, “reiterating Washington’s condemnation of the” war crimes and human rights violations they are committing “in Ukraine.”