Norwegian Ambassador Mona Juul strongly criticized Russia after Monday’s Security Council meeting, which was chaired by Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.

– If Russia wants to show that it respects the UN treaty, it can do so by immediately withdrawing all military forces from Ukraine. Russia has started an illegal war of aggression and the Secretary General of the United Nations, the European Union and a number of countries on the UN Security Council today used this meeting to once again ask Russia to withdraw its troops, Juul told Dagbladet.

Russia currently holds the rotating presidency of the Security Council.

Norway has membership in the UN Security Council from 2021 to 2022. Diplomats from the UN envoy Norway attended the Security Council meeting today.

On the eve of the Security Council meeting, EU member states issued a joint statement criticizing Russia’s use of the Security Council – and today’s meeting.

– By organizing this debate, Russia is trying to present itself as a patron of the UN Charter and cooperation. Nothing could be further from the truth. That’s cynical, the statement said, among other things.

Guterres criticizes Russia

UN Secretary-General António Guterres pointed to the world’s major powers during his speech this afternoon:

– Tensions between great powers and the risk of conflict through negligence and miscalculation are at a historic peak, the Secretary-General said, according to Reuters.

“The invasion of Ukraine caused immense suffering and destruction,” said Guterres.

The Russian foreign minister has another message about international cooperation.

– As during the Cold War, we have reached a dangerous threshold, perhaps even more dangerous.