Russia on Saturday assumed the presidency of the United Nations Security Council, a move decried by Ukraine as the war rages on. Moscow's turn to head the 15-member council came in line with a rotation system that seems to have been unaffected by the Ukraine war.
This comes amid International Criminal Court's arrest warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Ukraine has condemned the move, with Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba calling it "the world’s worst April Fool’s joke." “The country which systematically violates all fundamental rules of international security is presiding over a body whose only mission is to safeguard and protect international security,” Kuleba said.
Sergiy Kyslytsya, the Ukrainian permanent representative, also called the move new levels of absurdity. "The security council as it is designed is immobilised and incapable to address the issues of their primary responsibility, that is the prevention of conflicts and then dealing with conflicts," he said.
Kyslytsya added that Ukraine would stay away from the security council in April except for "issues of critical national security interests". Though the country is not a current council member, its representative often attends meetings to speak on issues related to the war.
Despite Ukraine's public outcry, there is little the US or other permanent members of the council - UK, US, France, and China - can do to block Russia from assuming the presidency.
"Unfortunately, Russia is a permanent member of the Security Council and no feasible international legal pathway exists to change that reality," White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told a news briefing this week. However, she said the US expects Moscow "to continue to use its seat on the council to spread disinformation" and justify its actions in Ukraine.
Though no member state is currently planning any form of boycott or other protest, countries that support Ukraine may show their disapproval by downgrading the level of their representation at Russian-hosted events throughout the month, said The Guardian.
Interestingly, the last time Russia held the presidency was in 2022 February, the same month Vladimir Putin launched his "special military operation" in Ukraine.
This time, Russia said it plans to exercise all its rights on the council. Moscow's ambassador to the UN Vasily Nebenzia told the Russian Tass news agency that he planned to oversee several debates, including one on arms control. Nebenzia also stressed discussions on a "new world order" that was coming to "replace the unipolar one".
