Ukraine has labeled Russia’s presidency of the UN Security Council for April as “a symbolic blow”, joining a chorus of outrage from Western countries.
Moscow assumes the presidency as part of its monthly rotation among the 15 member states of the Security Council, with ties with the West at their lowest since the Cold War following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Andriy Yermak, the Ukrainian president’s chief of staff, called Russia’s appointment a “symbolic blow”.
“It’s not just a pity. It is another symbolic blow to the rules-based system of international relations,” he wrote on Twitter.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said Russia’s acceptance as president was “a slap in the face to the international community”.
“I urge the current members of the UN Security Council to thwart any and all Russian attempts to abuse his presidency,” he wrote on Twitter on Saturday, calling Russia “an outlaw of the UN Security Council.”
Moscow last chaired the council in February 2022, the same month it invaded Ukraine – prompting Kiev to call for Russia to be removed from the council.
Russia will have little influence on decisions, but will be in charge of the agenda.
Moscow has said Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov plans to chair a UN Security Council meeting this month on “effective multilateralism”.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova also said Lavrov would lead a debate on the Middle East on April 25.
The Kremlin said on Friday it intended to “exercise all its rights” in the role.
International Criticism
Washington also criticized Russia’s membership of the Security Council and its status as a permanent member.
The White House urged Russia to “behave professionally” when taking on the role, saying there were no means to bar Moscow from the post.
“A country that flagrantly violates the UN Charter and invades its neighbor has no place on the UN Security Council,” White House spokesman Karine Jean-Pierre said Friday.
“Unfortunately, Russia is a permanent member of the Security Council and there is no viable international legal avenue to change that reality,” she added, calling the presidency “a largely ceremonial position.”
The Baltic States also expressed their concern.
Estonian UN envoy Rein Tammsaar, who also spoke on behalf of Latvia and Lithuania, warned the Security Council on Friday as it met to discuss Russia’s plans to deploy tactical nuclear weapons in neighboring Belarus.
“Isn’t it significant that tomorrow, on the anniversary of the Bucha murders, Russia will assume the presidency of the UN Security Council?
“This is embarrassing, humiliating and dangerous to the credibility and effective functioning of this body,” he said.
Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis mockingly congratulated Russia on assuming the presidency.
“I look forward to energetic discussions on Ukraine’s proposal for the destination of your warships,” he wrote on Saturday.
The Lithuanian Foreign Ministry’s strategic communications department, meanwhile, tweeted that “Russia, waging a ruthless war against Ukraine, can only lead #InsecurityCouncil.”
In an interview with AFP news agency on Thursday, US UN ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield said she expected Russia to behave “professionally” during the presidency, but expressed doubts.
“We also expect that they will also look for opportunities to advance their disinformation campaign against Ukraine, the United States and all our allies,” she said.
“At every opportunity we will express our concern about Russia’s actions,” she added, reiterating Washington’s condemnation of Moscow’s “war crimes and human rights violations” in Ukraine.