Russia today assumes the rotating presidency of the Security Council of the United Nations for a month. Moscow, which is one of the five permanent members of the UN Council, with veto power, takes over from Mozambique.
Kremlin spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, described Russia’s agenda at the UN as “eventful”, while the foreign minister Sergey Lavrov he plans to chair a high-level open debate of the United Nations Security Council on the “effective multilateralism” and on the protection of the principles established in the Charter of the United Nations.
A debate on the peace process is scheduled for 25 April Middle East. Other items on the Russian agenda include the evacuation of Ukrainian children from the conflict zone and suspected violations of military hardware export agreements.
The change to the presidency creates some discontent within the international community above all because of the ongoing war in Ukraine for which Russia is considered an “aggressor” country. Kiev calls it “a bad joke for april first“. “Russia’s presidency in the United Nations Security Council is a stark reminder that something is wrong with the way the architecture of international security works. A state that systematically ruins international peace and security will preside over the body charged with maintaining them,” the foreign minister wrote in a tweet. Dmytro Kuleba.
And in a message posted on his twitter account, the Estonian Foreign Minister Urmas Reinsalu strongly criticized the beginning of the Russian presidency of the UN Security Council. “Unfortunately, this is not a joke in bad taste,” he wrote, “and this is happening amid a year-long large-scale invasion of Ukraine with grave violations of international law and the principles of the UN charter.” . “Ukraine”, concluded the minister, “will win and Russia will have to answer to justice for all the crimes committed”.
Russia’s war of aggression, which will take over the presidency of the UN Security Council today, undermines the Council’s credibility, Finnish ambassador to the United Nations said Elina Kalkku which nevertheless considers the functioning capacity of the security council unchanged despite the month-long Russian presidency. This was reported by the Finnish newspaper Helsingin Sanomat. “It is clear that the Security Council’s credibility has been severely undermined by the fact that a permanent member has started to conquer and annex territories of neighboring countries. This is a central problem,” Kalkku stressed.
United Nations Security Council
President Vladimir Putin recently announced a new foreign policy strategy for Russia aimed at reducing Western “domination” and identifying China and India as key partners for the future. The new document cements the deep rift between Russia and the West over Moscow’s offensive in Ukraine. The strategy document argues that “the Russian Federation intends to prioritize the elimination of the vestiges of the dominance of the United States and other hostile countries in world politics.”
The term “hostile countries” is used by Russia to refer to those countries, particularly in Europe and North America, which have condemned Moscow’s military campaign in Ukraine and adopted sanctions against the Russian Federation. The 42 page documentwhich was posted on the Kremlin’s website, says Russia will aim to “create the conditions for any state to reject neocolonialist and hegemonic aims.”
Announcing the document at a Security Council meeting, Putin said updates to Russia’s engagement strategy on the global stage were needed due to the “radical changes” in the world. Russia identified ties with China and India as essential and stressed the importance of “deepening ties and coordination with sovereign and friendly centers of global power and development located on the Eurasian continent”.
The document also describes Russia as a “civilization state” charged with defending what it calls a “Russian world” of related cultures on the Eurasian continent. The concept of “Russian world” it is used by the Kremlin to justify its actions in Ukraine under the pretense of defending the country’s Russian-speaking minority.
