Russia has been fighting a war in Ukraine that is continuing for 425 days. The Hague plans to issue an arrest warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin on war crimes charges. But at the United Nations, Moscow hosts the Security Council, a powerful international body. The hypocrisy could not be any more than this. United Nations, an organization for maintaining peace on the world stage, is showing its uselessness by this show.
Russia’s top diplomat, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov arrived in New York City on 24th April. Lavrov is allowed in the United States because he’s here for a United Nations meeting, and Russia as ironic as it may be currently holds the rotating presidency of the Security Council. Some have said this is the worst joke ever. Lavrov today when he got the microphone used it to warn of the world currently being at “a dangerous threshold.”
In his speech, Lavrov urged countries to consider Western criticism of Russia’s actions in Ukraine as part of a US plan to prevent the rise of other world powers. He said he wanted the US to “take advantage of the openly racist regime in Kyiv”, hoping to weaken Russia and eliminate its rivals.
Russian diplomats have been absent from several international meetings since Moscow launched a massive invasion of Ukraine last year. However, the leadership of the UN’s most powerful body, the Security Council, contains 15 member states, and the presidency is transferred in alphabetical order.
West’s Response to Russian Minister
The US Ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas was there today with Sergey. She said it was the epitome of irony and hypocrisy to have the foreign minister of Russia chair the Security Council. It was a meeting on “Defence of the Principles of the UN Charter”. There is no respect for the UN Charter by Russia if it has unilaterally provoked action against Ukraine. Russia has attacked everything that the UN Charter stands for and everything we value as members of the United Nations.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres condemned Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, stating that it is a clear violation of international law, as well as the UN Charter. The 27 member states of the European Union (EU) denounced Russia’s attempt to claim itself as the guardian of the UN Charter and multilateralism, calling it ‘cynical’. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmitri Kuleva called the situation a “bad joke”. “Honestly, I can’t think of a worse April Fool’s joke,” he said at a Chatham House event. A state that systematically violates all the basic rules of international security leads an organization whose sole mission is to protect international security.”
Sources: CNN; FirstPost
