Russia not a peace-loving state, so it does not meet UN's main criterion - Shmyhal

Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said this at a government meeting on Tuesday, according to Ukrinform.

"Russia has not been a peace-loving state for a long time, and therefore it does not meet the main criterion of the UN. It cynically abuses its right of veto in the Security Council. It blocks decisions that oppose its aggressive policy. Therefore, Ukraine legitimately raises the question of excluding Russia not only from the Security Council, but also from the UN," Shmyhal said.

He noted that these days mark 31 years since the death of the evil empire - the Soviet Union. It was at the end of 1991 that the Union ceased to exist as a geopolitical reality.

"Its [Soviet Union's] successor — the Russian Federation — appropriated a seat on the UN Security Council. By circumventing the Organization's Charter, Russia's membership in the Security Council was imposed on the international community. Unfortunately, at that time the community remained silent. Today it is impossible to remain silent," Shmyhal said.

He also called on the entire civilized world to stand in solidarity with the Ukrainian position.

"We believe in the victory of the force of international law and are making all possible efforts for this," he said.

Ukrinform reported earlier that Ukraine had initiated a complex process aimed at depriving Russia of its status as a permanent member of the UN Security Council and expelling it from the UN. The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry made a respective statement.