Kiev denounced Russia's assumption of the rotating presidency of the UN Security Council for the month of April and warned against abusing this role. Meanwhile, Russia's defense minister discussed with senior army commanders the reinforcement of ammunition supplies to combat troops in Ukraine.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said on Saturday via Twitter that Russia's presidency of the Security Council represented "a slap in the face of the international community."
Kuleba called on the current members of the council to "confront any Russian attempt to abuse this presidency" and added that he recalled that Russia is an outlaw in the Security Council.
The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry published a statement clarifying what it described as the illegality of the presence of the Russian Federation in the UN Security Council and in the United Nations in general, noting that the current UN Charter does not include the phrase "Russian Federation".
Meanwhile, Andriy Yermak, director of the Ukrainian president's office, wrote on Twitter that the presidency is "not just a shame, it is another symbolic blow to the rules-based system of international relations."
On Saturday, Russia took over the presidency of the Security Council from Mozambique, as the presidency of the Council changes periodically every month. Russia last chaired the council was in February 2022, when its forces began the offensive on Ukraine.
Russia plans to "exercise all rights" while it is president of the Security Council, the Kremlin said.
Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov will chair two meetings of the Security Council during the presidency of the Council (European)
Two meetings chaired by Lavrov
Moscow announced earlier that Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov would chair a Security Council meeting on "effective multilateralism."
Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said the minister would also chair a discussion session on the Middle East on April 25.
The United States criticized Moscow's presidency of the council, with White House spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre saying: "A country that brazenly violates the UN Charter and invades its neighbor has no place in the Security Council."
"Unfortunately, Russia is a permanent member of the Security Council and there is no practical international legal path to change this reality," she said, describing the post of Security Council presidency as "very honorary."
⚡️Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu held a meeting on the provision of ammunition for the group of troops.
According to the minister, production capacities were expanded and the provision of troops with ammunition, including high-precision ammunition, increased many times over. pic.twitter.com/zVwd9M1JhW
— War Monitor (@WarMonitors) April 1, 2023
Russia boosts ammunition production
On the other hand, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu announced that his country has increased the production of ammunition to support the army in implementing what Moscow describes as a plan for military operation in Ukraine.
Shoigu confirmed – during a meeting at the joint headquarters of the armed forces – that the military-industrial complex has increased the amount of ammunition in general, and that his country has enough to continue the war, according to Al Jazeera's correspondent.
The Russian minister said this related to ordinary ammunition, guided high-precision, without elaborating.
During a meeting attended by senior officers, led by Chief of Staff Valery Gerasimov, he said that "the volume of the most requested supplies of ammunition has been determined. Action is being taken to increase them."
In recent months, Shoigu has come under sharp criticism from domestic parties, including the head of the Wagner private military group, Yevgeny Prigozhin, who accused him of not providing enough ammunition for troops on the front lines.