Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has blasted Russia's assumption of the presidency of the UN Security Council as an "absurd and destructive" development and said that it proves "the complete bankruptcy of international institutions."
Speaking late on April 1, Zelenskiy said " those responsible for terror" should not be allowed to preside over international bodies.
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"The Russian Army killed another Ukrainian child, a 5-month-old boy from Avdiyivka.... And at the same time, Russia presides over the UN Security Council," Zelenskiy said.
Separately, EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said the European Union will stand against any abuse during Russia's presidency of the United Nations Security Council during the month of April.
"Despite being a permanent member of the Security Council, Russia continuously violates the very essence of the UN legal framework," Borrell said on Twitter late on April 1.
"The EU will stand against any abuse by [the] Russian presidency," he said.
Earlier, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba called Russia's assumption of the presidency "a slap in the face to the international community." He urged other members of the UN Security Council to prevent Moscow from abusing its presidency.
Ukrainian presidential aide Mykhaylo Podolyak said the move was "another rape of international law."
"An entity that wages an aggressive war, violates the norms of humanitarian and criminal law, destroys the UN Charter, [and] neglects nuclear safety can't head the world's key security body," Podolyak said on Twitter.
Russia took over the monthlong chairmanship of the UN Security Council on April 1 for the first time since February 2022 when it launched its unprovoked war on Ukraine.
Russia's invasion of Ukraine violated the UN Charter, which requires states to refrain from using force against the territorial integrity or political independence of another state.
The UN General Assembly overwhelmingly passed a resolution days after the invasion began demanding that Russia immediately end its war in Ukraine. Russia blocked a similar resolution from passing in the Security Council.
Russia's presidency of the UN Security Council also follows an International Criminal Court (ICC) arrest warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin accusing him of being responsible for the illegal deportation of children from Ukraine, which constitutes a war crime.