Russia defended itself Monday in opposition to a barrage of criticism over its presidency of the UN Safety Council for the month of April, insisting it is not going to abuse the place to defend its invasion of Ukraine.

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“We don’t abuse the prerogatives of the presidency,” stated the Russian ambassador to the United Nations, Vassily Nebenzia.

“One factor is the nationwide place. The second factor is the position of the presidency of the Safety Council,” he stated at a press convention marking Russia’s assumption of the rotating place.

The state of affairs provoked stinging criticism from Ukraine, which referred to as it a “slap within the face to the worldwide group,” and from its allies.

“As you recognize, Russia is assuming its seat as president of the Safety Council. Began on April 1. It is like an April Idiot’s joke,” stated Linda Thomas-Greenfield, the US ambassador.

“However the reality of the matter is, it is a rotating seat. We count on that they are going to behave professionally,” she stated.

“However we additionally count on that they are going to use their seat to unfold disinformation and to advertise their very own agenda because it pertains to Ukraine, and we’ll stand able to name them out at each single second that they try to try this,” the ambassador added.

Ukraine and the West have for months been denouncing Russian “propaganda” over its invasion of Ukraine in February of final yr.

Nebenzia stated such criticism was within the “vein of the Western narrative”, and in flip accused Kyiv’s allies of spreading disinformation particularly about “the state of affairs of Ukrainian youngsters who had been allegedly kidnapped from Ukraine and delivered to Russia in opposition to their will.”

The Worldwide Prison Court docket has issued an arrest warrant in opposition to Russian President Vladimir Putin on fees of warfare crimes for the unlawful deportation of Ukrainian youngsters in the course of the invasion.

The Russian ambassador referred to as the warrant “silly” and “illegitimate.” He’s organizing an off-the-cuff assembly on the UN on Wednesday to deal with the difficulty.

The presidency of the Safety Council confers sure prerogatives when it comes to setting the agenda for the physique. However as a everlasting member, Russia already has the flexibility to convene emergency conferences when it needs them.

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The nation holding the presidency additionally normally organizes two or three particular conferences on chosen subjects.

Russian Overseas Minister Sergei Lavrov is because of chair certainly one of them on April 24, on “the protection of the rules of the UN constitution.”

“Russia is in no place to speak about worldwide regulation or the values of the UN,” stated deputy British Ambassador James Kariuki.