Russia presides over the UN Security Council, Ukraine vs

Starting from April 1, Russia will fulfill the duties of the country chairing the UN Security Council. This caused a protest in Ukraine. The President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, said that this indicates the bankruptcy of the UN Security Council as an international institution.

In his evening television address, Zelensky reminded that Russia is waging a war of aggression, during which peaceful residents of Ukraine, including children, are being killed. He declared the need to reform global institutions, including the Security Council. “Terrorists should be responsible for terror, and not preside over somewhere,” Zelensky said.

The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, Dmitry Kuleba, called Russia’s presidency of the Security Council “the worst April Fool’s joke in the world.” “A country that systematically violates all the fundamental rules of international security will be headed by a body whose sole purpose is to preserve international security,” Kuleba said.

The head of European diplomacy, Joseph Borrell, wrote on Twitter on April 1: “Russia presides over the UN Security Council. It is very appropriate for the date – the day of laughter. Despite the fact that Russia is a permanent member of the Security Council, it constantly violates the very essence of the UN Charter.” Borrell emphasized that the European Union will resist any abuse of power by Russia.

• The status of the country-chairman of the UN Security Council is largely formal. 15 countries – permanent members of the Security Council – preside over it in turn, each for one month. Their rotation is carried out in alphabetical order. The last time Russia played the role of the chairman of the Security Council was in February 2022 – the month when it launched a military invasion of Ukraine.