‘A bad joke’: Ukraine cries foul as Russia takes the reins of the UN Security Council

April 07, 2023

Last week, Ukraine’s top diplomat panned Russia’s upcoming chairmanship of the United Nations Security Council and called the situation “a bad joke.”

“Frankly speaking, you cannot imagine a worse joke for April Fools’ Day. The country that systematically violated all fundamental rules of international security is presiding over a body whose only mission is to protect international security,” Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba told a Chatham House event via video link from Kyiv.

“I don’t think Russia will be able to change the balance inside the Security Council during its presidency. It will try to abuse its rights of the presidency to push for its own narratives, but I doubt they will be able to secure the sufficient number of votes to make the council adopt decisions on matters related specifically to Ukraine.”

The last time Russia’s ambassador to the U.N., Vasily Nebenzya, presided over the body tasked with the “maintenance of international peace and security” was February 2022, the month Moscow invaded Ukraine. When Russia launched its full-scale invasion last year, Russia vetoed a resolution aimed at halting the war, while China, India and the UAE abstained.

The presidency will not result in the passage of any pro-Russian affirmations and the role is largely seen as procedural, but Moscow will be able to set the agenda for debates over the next month.

What’s more, Nebenzya is expected to use the forum to advance pro-Russian narratives.

However, the presidency being held by a country whose president is currently subject to an arrest warrant by the ICC has raised serious questions about its purpose.

“Russia’s presidency of the U.N. Security Council is largely symbolic but it’s deeply offensive,” Daniel Runde, a senior vice president at the Washington-based think tank Center for Strategic and International Studies, told CNBC.

“A permanent member of the Security Council has invaded another sovereign country, is committing war crimes and annexing territory is ironic,” Runde added.