Norwegian Ambassador Mona Juul sharply criticized Russia after Monday’s meeting of the Security Council, chaired by Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.

– If Russia wants to show that it respects the UN pact, it can do so by immediately withdrawing all military forces from Ukraine. Russia has launched an illegal war of aggression and the UN Secretary General, the EU and a number of UN Security Council countries have used this meeting today to again call on the Russia to withdraw its forces, Juul told Dagbladet.

Russia currently holds the rotating presidency of the Security Council.

Norway was a member of the UN Security Council from 2021 to 2022. Diplomats from Norway’s UN envoy attended today’s meeting of the Security Council.

Ahead 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 protector of the United Nations Charter and cooperation. Nothing could be further from the truth. This is cynical, the statement said, among other things.

Guterres criticized Russia

UN Secretary-General António Guterres points the finger at major world powers during his speech this afternoon:

– Great-power tension and the risk of conflict through negligence and miscalculation is at an all-time high, the secretary-general says, according to Reuters.

“The invasion of Ukraine is causing massive suffering and destruction,” said António Guterres.

The Russian Foreign Minister had another message to make regarding international cooperation.

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