Kyslytsia: Change in UN Security Council's composition did not affect majority's position on Ukraine

This was stated in an interview with Ukrinform by Ukraine's Permanent Representative to the UN, Sergiy Kyslytsia.

"In general, I do not believe that the change in the composition of the Security Council has led to a deterioration in the level of support for Ukraine among those members of the Security Council who firmly stand by the principles and goals of the UN Charter," Kyslytsia said.

The Permanent Representative reminded that instead of two African countries (Gabon and Ghana), Algeria and Sierra Leone became members of the Security Council at the beginning of this year. Instead of Brazil, Latin America and the Caribbean is represented by Guyana.

"To assess their positions, it is worth listening to the speeches of their representatives at the recent Security Council meetings," he said.

According to Kyslytsia, Guyana "unequivocally called on Russia to completely withdraw its troops from the territory of Ukraine." Sierra Leone has been quite consistent in its insistence on respecting the territorial integrity, sovereignty, and the UN Charter.

"Algeria's position is the least inspiring," he said, "as evidenced by at least one phrase from the Algerian representative's speech - that Algeria continues to be "concerned about the military actions in Russia and Ukraine.

From Asia, instead of the UAE, South Korea joined the Security Council, which has a clear position on the Ukrainian issue, the Permanent Representative said.

"It is extremely concerned about Moscow's cooperation with the dictatorial regime in Pyongyang. After all, what is happening in Ukraine with North Korean shells and missiles, in South Korea's opinion, poses a direct threat to itself," he explained.

Slovenia also became a non-permanent member (instead of Albania), representing a group of Eastern European countries. "This is a very reliable country. In terms of supporting Ukraine, it has proved this by many of its actions and declared political position," Kyslytsia noted.

Therefore, the situation in the Security Council has not undergone radical changes, he added.

At the same time, there are "systemic problems" in the Security Council, which are that "the Security Council continues to be hostage to the Russian Federation being in the place of the Soviet Union," the diplomat emphasized.

"Moscow uses the rights of the Soviet Union with the consent of the Security Council member states, especially the permanent ones, which are not ready to question the full scope of Moscow's powers in the Security Council, no matter how boldly Russia acts in the international arena, particularly in Ukraine," he said.

Despite harsh criticism from other members about the Russian Federation's violations of the UN Charter and international law, "it remains where it was at the beginning of the full-scale aggression," Kyslytsia added.

As Ukrinform reported, on January 1, a third of the UN Security Council was renewed. Algeria, Guyana, Slovenia, Sierra Leone, and South Korea became non-permanent members, which will hold seats in the Security Council in 2024-2025.

Of the 15 members of the Security Council, the permanent members - in accordance with the UN Charter - are the United States, the United Kingdom, France, China, and the Soviet Union, whose seat was taken by Russia after the collapse, appropriating the relevant powers.

Non-permanent members are elected for two years. Albania, Brazil, Gabon, Ghana, and the United Arab Emirates were members of the Security Council in 2022-2023. Malta, Ecuador, Japan, Mozambique, and Switzerland were elected as non-permanent members in 2023-2024.