World News | Russia rejects U.S. claim that its presidency of UN Council is a joke

United Nations, April 4 (AP) – Russia’s ambassador to the United Nations on Monday dismissed claims by the United States and the European Union that his presidency of the Security Council this month was an April Fool’s joke, announcing that the meeting will be chaired by Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov. The meeting defended the principles of the Security Council and Moscow was widely accused of violating the UN Charter by invading Ukraine.

U.S. Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield told reporters earlier Monday that the U.S. expects the Russians will use their presiding seats to “spread disinformation and promote their own Ukraine-related agenda, and we will stand ready to call them out at any time.” They try to do that.”

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Both she and EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell called Russia’s takeover of the council presidency an April Fool’s joke.

In accordance with the rules of the Security Council, the presidency rotates among its 15 members in alphabetical order on a monthly basis. Russian ambassador Vassily Nebenzia told reporters the rules of the council responsible for maintaining international peace and security would not change, saying Russia would be an “honest broker”.

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The president of the council presides and decides on topics for key meetings, usually by the foreign minister and sometimes by the president. On April 24, Lavrov will chair a conference on “Effective Multilateralism Through Upholding the Principles of the UN Charter.”

Monthly meetings are also required, including on the Middle East, Syria and other global hotspots, including Mali, Libya, Yemen, Haiti, the African Great Lakes region and Colombia, which Lavrov will also chair.

Responding to the U.S. ambassador’s expectation that Russia would spread disinformation about Ukraine, Neben Zia called it a “Western narrative” and stressed that “we think the exact opposite.”

He said Russia plans to hold an informal council meeting on Wednesday to discuss Moscow’s claim that Western officials and media outlets are spreading disinformation about Ukrainian children being brought to Russia. He said the purpose of the meeting was to “dispel the narrative” that they had been kidnapped.

The issue came into focus last month when the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Russian President Vladimir Putin and his state children’s rights commissioner, accusing them of war crimes by “illegally deporting” Ukrainian children to Russia. Moscow called the warrants “outrageous” and “legally invalid.”

An investigation first published by The Associated Press in October found that public efforts to send Ukrainian children for adoption in Russia are well underway. Ukrainian officials claimed at the time that nearly 8,000 children had been deported to Russia, but exact figures are hard to pin down.

Britain’s deputy U.N. ambassador, James Kariuki, said Russia had no right to speak about international law or U.N. values.

“It is waging a war of aggression against Ukraine in violation of the most fundamental principles of the UN Charter — you cannot redefine borders by force — and its president has been indicted by the International Criminal Court for the systematic abduction of Ukrainian children,” he said. explain.

“The UK will continue to use our seat on the Council to challenge their illegal warfare, expose their disinformation, and protect the Council’s vital work of addressing other threats to international peace and security, including across Africa and the Middle East.”

Russia’s presidency of the council has also drawn strong criticism from Ukraine and the Baltic states.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky denounced the “bankruptcy” of the Security Council and renewed calls for sweeping reforms of the UN agency and other global institutions.

Estonia’s UN ambassador, Rein Tammsaar, also speaking on behalf of Latvia and Lithuania, called the Russian presidency “disgraceful, insulting and dangerous” and undermined the council’s credibility.

Under Security Council rules, members with a direct link to an issue should withdraw, and Nebenzia was asked whether Russia would shy away from discussing Ukraine.

“No,” he replied, saying the United States, Britain and France, which have always supported Ukraine, would also have to withdraw.

The Russian ambassador recalled that following the US-led invasion of Iraq in March 2003, the UK and the US served consecutively as council chairs in September and October.

“No one is asking the question of their legitimacy as president,” Nebenzia said. “And no one raised the issue of their exit from discussing what could have been the hottest and hottest topic at the time.” (AP)

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from a Syndicated News feed, the content body may not have been modified or edited by LatestLY staff)