The Security Council is one of the UN’s most powerful bodies with the task of, among other things, being responsible for “maintaining international peace and security”.
When the Council meets today in New York, it is Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov who is in charge of the presidency. Among other things, the item “defend the UN Charter” is on the agenda.
The announcement to let Russia hold the presidency for the next two days has been met with criticism worldwide. Ukraine, which has demanded that Russia be completely excluded, has, among other things, called Lavrov’s participation a “bad joke”.
“Russia has unjustly seized its seat on the Council, the country is waging a colonial war against us and its leader is a war criminal wanted by the International Criminal Court ICC,” Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba wrote on Twitter in early April.
Screwed up position
The presidency of the Security Council rotates between member states every month. In total, the Council has 15 seats, five of which are permanent: the United States, Russia, China, Great Britain and France. As a permanent member, Russia has the right of veto, which means that they can stop decisions, and thus not be excluded from the Council.
Also in February last year, at the same time as Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the country held the presidency, which attracted great criticism.
The situation before the meeting has been tense. Among other things, Lavrov has drawn attention to the fact that a number of Russian journalists, reportedly loyal to the regime, have not been granted visas.
– We will not forget, and we will not forgive, he says according to Russian media.
The Security Council meeting begins at 4 p.m. on Monday, Swedish time.
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