Russia's ambassador to the UN told reporters on Monday that the International Criminal Court's arrest warrant for President Vladimir Putin was “stupid” and an “illegitimate decision”.
Last month, The Hague-based ICC issued a warrant for Mr Putin over his alleged role in the abduction and deportation of thousands of Ukrainian children to Russia.
"The decision of the International Criminal Court besides being stupid... is also an illegitimate decision," said Ambassador Vasily Nebenzya after Russia took control of the Security Council's monthly rotating membership.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has blasted Russia's helming of the Security Council as highlighting the institution's “total bankruptcy”.
The warrant "means nothing to us," Mr Nebenzya said.
"Those who encouraged the decision, perhaps already regret they did it... because it doesn't make us closer to any resolution of the current crisis we're living in."
The UK's Deputy Ambassador to the UN, James Kariuki, said Russia was in “no position” to talk about international law or UN values.
“It is waging a war of aggression against Ukraine, violating the most basic principle of the UN Charter — you don’t redraw borders by force, and its president has been indicted by the ICC for the systematic abduction of Ukrainian children,” he said in a statement.
More than 16,000 Ukrainian children have been taken to Russia since Moscow's invasion began last year, according to Kyiv, with many said to be placed in institutions and foster homes.
Mr Kariuki added that Britain would keep using its seat on the council to challenge Russia’s “illegal war”, and expose the Kremlin’s “disinformation” campaign.
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Ukrainian soldiers fire a howitzer towards Russian positions, near Bakhmut in Ukraine. AP -
Resident Svetlana Boiko, 66, who was wounded in recent shelling, is comforted near her destroyed house in Donetsk. Reuters -
A wounded Ukrainian soldier is treated in a front-line stabilisation ambulance, near Kreminna. Reuters -
A house in Donetsk destroyed in recent shelling. Reuters -
Ukrainian volunteer soldiers hold their positions at the front line near Bakhmut. AFP -
Volunteers carry the remains of a Uragan rocket as they clear the area around the Sviatohirsk Cave Monastery in Dolyna. AFP -
A man sits inside a damaged car in the village of Chasiv Yar. AFP -
Ukrainian servicemen fire at Russian positions in the region of Donbas. AFP -
Rescue workers put out a fire in a house shelled by Russian forces in Kostiantynivka. AP -
A Ukrainian serviceman moves towards the frontline city of Bakhmut. AFP -
Vladyslav, a Ukrainian paratrooper of the 80 Air Assault brigade, rests in a dugout at the front line near Bakhmut. AP -
Residents of the village of Bohorodychne cross the Seversky Donets river to retrieve bread from the other bank. AFP
Last week, Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba called Moscow's presidency a “bad joke”.
Linda Thomas-Greenfield, the US Ambassador to the UN, echoed those statements in saying that Russia assuming its seat as council president was “like an April Fool's joke”.
“But the truth of the matter is, it's a rotating seat,” she said.
“We expect that they will behave professionally. But we also expect that they will use their seat to spread disinformation and to promote their own agenda as it relates to Ukraine, and we will stand ready to call them out at every single moment that they attempt to do that.”
Russia is expected to hold two signature events during its presidency: The first one will be an open debate on “risks stemming from violations of the agreements regulating the export of weapons and military equipment”.
This will be followed by a ministerial-level open debate, headed by Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, on “effective multilateralism through defence of the principles of the UN Charter.”
Mr Nebenzya confirmed Mr Lavrov would be travelling to New York for the ministerial later this month.
“We plan to have a comprehensive and strategic forward-looking discussion on the formation of a new multipolar world order based on sovereign equality, equal rights and self-determination,” he added.
Russia has also planned ministerial-level participation in the quarterly open debate on the Middle East, which Mr Lavrov is expected to lead. Mr Nebenzya said the session would focus on the “stagnation” of the Palestinian-Israeli settlement.
Ms Thomas-Greenfield told reporters on Monday that she had no plans to meet the Foreign Minister during his visit.
The 15-member Security Council, the UN’s most powerful organ, has a rotating presidency that goes in alphabetical order.
The last time Russia held the presidency was in February last year.
On the 24th day of its presidency, Mr Putin launched his “special military operation” into neighbouring Ukraine, in breach of the UN Charter and international law.
