Russia Assumes Presidency of UN Security Council on April Fools’ Day

On April Fools’ Day, the Russian Federation assumed presidency of the United Nations Security Council as it wages war on Ukraine, in what Ukraine’s president said showed its “total bankruptcy.”

Russia last took the chair of the intergovernmental body, which is tasked with maintaining peace and combating acts of international aggression, in February 2022 when Russian President Vladimir Putin launched his invasion of neighboring Ukraine in violation of Article 2(4) of the U.N. Charter.

On April 1, as Russia assumed charge of the council, Putin stands accused by the International Criminal Court (ICC) of war crimes. The ICC is an international justice body not associated with the U.N.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy voiced outrage at the situation, calling the U.N.’s adherence to its procedural rules in the face of clear violations by member states an absurd and destructive move.