U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield on April 3 called Russia taking on the UN Security Council (UNSC) presidency this month an “April Fools’ joke.”
“But the truth of the matter is, it’s a rotating seat,” she said, as cited by CNN. “We expect that they will behave professionally. But we also expect that they will use their seat to spread disinformation and to 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.”
On March 30, it was announced that Russia will lead the UNSC in April. The Presidency of the UNSC rotates on a monthly basis between 15 member states.
The Security Council comprises five permanent members, including the U.S. and Russia, along with 10 non-permanent members that are chosen by the General Assembly for a two-year term.
Mariia Kovach-Butsko
"We haven't decided yet on what our attendance levels will be, but we intend to carry out the business of the Security Council during this month," Thomas-Greenfield said. "The Security Council does more than Ukraine. We work on many issues, and we again expect that Russia will carry their presidency in a professional way, but when they don't, we will stand ready to call them out."
On April 1, President Volodymyr Zelensky said in a video address that as Russia goes on to chair the UN Security Council, “it is hard to imagine something more evident that proves the complete bankruptcy of such institutions.” Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba called the move a "bad joke."
Russia has repeatedly abused its position at the United Nations while attempting to justify its genocidal war in Ukraine.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov told the U.N. General Assembly that Russia had “no choice” but to invade Ukraine, U.N. News reported in September 2022.
Since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, Russian officials have also been condemned for documented war crimes committed on Ukrainian territory.
The Hague-based International Criminal Court (ICC) issued on March 17 arrest warrants for Russian dictator Vladimir Putin and Maria Lvova-Belova, the Russian official allegedly overseeing the forced deportations of over 16,000 Ukrainian children to Russia.
In response to the announcement, Russian ex-President Dmitriy Medvedev went on to threaten on March 20 a missile strike against the Hague.
He went on to warn judges of the International Criminal Court to "look carefully at the sky."
Asami Terajima
