Russia’s rise to the presidency of the U.N. Security Council this month is not an April Fool’s joke, Moscow’s delegate to the globalist organization indignantly declared Monday.
The presidency has rotated monthly in alphabetical order among its 15 members since it was founded at the conclusion of World War II.
The last time Russia had the presidency, February 2022, it launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Russian Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia told reporters there will be no change in the rules of the body with Russia committed to maintaining international peace, security and co-prosperity for all.
AP reports he said Russia has been “an honest broker” during past council presidencies, a role “which we value and cherish, and we are always trying to maintain it” as it served the broader objectives of the United Nations organization.
Russian Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Russian Federation to the U.N. Vassily Nebenzia (R) leaves after a press briefing as Russia assumes presidency of the Security Council at U.N. Headquarters in New York City, United States on April 03, 2023. ( Lev Radin/Anadolu Agency via Getty)
Others are not so sure.
U.S. Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield told reporters earlier Monday the U.S. expects the Russians will use their presiding seat “to spread disinformation and promote their own 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.”
She and European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell both called Russia’s takeover of the council presidency an April Fool’s joke, the AP report set out.
Britain’s deputy U.N. ambassador, James Kariuki, said Russia was in no position to talk about international law or U.N. values.
“It is waging a war of aggression against Ukraine, violating the most basic principle of the U.N. Charter — you don’t redraw borders by force — and its president has been indicted by the ICC for the systematic abduction of Ukrainian children,” he said.
Activists gathered on Times Square and marched to Dag Hammarskjold Plaza to protest Russia assuming the presidency of the U.N. Security Council. (Lev Radin/Pacific Press/LightRocket via Getty Images)
“The U.K. will keep using our seat on the council to challenge their illegal war, expose their disinformation, and protect the council’s vital work tackling other threats to international peace and security, including across Africa and the Middle East.”
Russia’s assumption of the council presidency also drew strong criticism from Ukraine and its Baltic neighbours.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky denounced the “bankruptcy” of the U.N. Security Council and reiterated his call for an overhaul of the U.N. body and other global institutions.
Despite Ukraine’s complaints, the United States said it could not block Russia – a permanent council member – from assuming the presidency.
The other permanent members of the council are the UK, US, France, and China.