KIEV, April 1 (Reuters) – Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Saturday called Russia’s assumption of the rotating presidency of the United Nations Security Council absurd, adding that it demonstrates the “total ruin” of the institution.
Russia on Saturday assumed the presidency of the UN’s top security body, which rotates every month. The last time Moscow held office was in February 2022, when its troops launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
“Unfortunately, we … have some obviously absurd and destructive news,” Zelensky said in a late-night video address, adding that Russian airstrikes had killed a 5-month-old boy on Friday.
“And at the same time Russia presides over the UN Security Council. It’s hard to imagine anything more demonstrating the total ruin of such institutions,” he said.
The Kremlin said on Friday that it planned to “exercise all its rights” in that role.
On Thursday, the United States urged Russia to “behave in a professional manner” when it takes office, saying there was no means to block Moscow in the post.
Zelensky said the time had come for a general review of world institutions, including the Security Council.
“The reform is obviously necessary to prevent a terrorist state – and any other state that wants to be – from destroying peace,” he said.
Earlier, Zelensky’s adviser Andriy Yermak also lashed out at Iran, a country kyiv and its allies accuse of supplying Russia with weapons. Tehran denies supplying weapons to Moscow.
“It is very revealing that on the holiday of a terrorist state, Iran, another terrorist state, Russia, begins to preside over the UN Security Council,” Yermak wrote on Twitter, referring to the Islamic Republic Day holiday. Iran. (Reporting by Max Hunder and David Ljunggren, Editing in Spanish by Manuel Farías)
Source: Ambito
