Russia will lead the work of the Security Council through this April. Ukraine had asked other members of the Security Council to block the presidency.
Each of the 15 member countries of the Security Council holds a rotating presidency for one month at a time.
The last time Russia held the presidency was in February 2022. At that time, it launched an attack on Ukraine.
The presidency has caused widespread criticism, because the president Vladimir Putin suspected of war crimes.
The International Criminal Court (ICC), outside the UN, issued an arrest warrant in March. The arrest warrant concerns Russian abductions of children from Ukraine and forced relocation of adults to Russian territory.
A permanent member of the Security Council cannot be excluded from working
In addition to Russia, the Security Council includes four countries. They are the United States, Britain, France and China.
In particular, Ukraine has vigorously demanded that Russia be excluded from Security Council sessions.
The United States has stated that it cannot prevent a permanent member of the Security Council from acting. According to the United States, the UN Charter does not allow the dismissal of a permanent member.
The role of the chairman is mostly ceremonial. Russia’s ambassador to the UN Vasili Nebenzia has, however, announced that he will bring, among other things, arms restriction issues to the discussion.
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyi has demanded Cancellation of Russia’s permanent membership.
The task of the UN Security Council is to maintain peace in the world.
In addition to the permanent members, the council has ten rotating members.
Reuters, AFP