- Russia was the president of the UN Security Council when it invaded Ukraine last February.
- It assumes this role again, despite protests from Ukraine.
- This comes at a time when the ICC has issued an arrest warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Russia is again at the head of the UN Security Council, a body responsible for ensuring international peace.
The last time Russia held the post of president – in February 2022 – it invaded Ukraine, the BBC noted.
The UN Security Council is made up of 15 members, 10 of whom are elected for a two-year term. The other five are permanent members and have a right of veto. These are the United States, France, the United Kingdom, China and Russia.
The 15 members rotate the presidency each month. The President of the Security Council is considered the face of the body and represents it before the entire United Nations.
While Ukraine has protested against Russia’s tenure as president, as a permanent member there is little other members can do.
Russia’s tenure as President of the Security Council comes less than two weeks after the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued an arrest warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin.
The court charged Putin with war crimes, alleging that Putin ordered the abduction of children from occupied parts of Ukraine and sent them to Russia.
Several countries have declared that they will arrest Putin if the opportunity arises.
—Михайло Подоляк (@Podolyak_M) March 31, 2023
Ukrainian presidential adviser Mykhaylo Podolyak called Russia’s presidency of the Security Council a “violation of international law”.
“An entity that waged a war of aggression, violated the norms of humanitarian and criminal law, destroyed the Charter of the United Nations, neglected nuclear security, could not lead the world’s key security organ,” Podolyak wrote in a tweet.
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