MOSCOW (Dispatches) - Russian First Deputy Permanent Representative to the UN Dmitry Polyansky has said excluding Russia from the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) is possible only if the entire organization is disbanded and created anew.

Commenting on Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s calls to strip Russia of its permanent UNSC member status, Polyansky stated those remarks “do not stand up to scrutiny”.

“Naturally, all normal people realize that this scenario will be possible only if the UN is disbanded and created anew,” he told the Soloviev Live TV channel.

In his words, Kiev’s task was to “stir up” UN Security Council member states, who are growing increasingly tired of the Ukrainian issue.

“Both Zelensky and Ukraine’s envoy to the UN are wasting their breath, claiming from time to time that we [Russia] have no right to UN Security Council seat, that we retained it unlawfully after the breakup of the Soviet Union,” he stated.

“This is total nonsense, we have explained it, and even UN officials have provided due clarifications,” he added.

Russia Quits Several Council of Europe Agreements

 

Meanwhile, Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin signed a decree to terminate Russia’s participation in a number of agreements within the Council of Europe framework, according to a document published by the official Russian web portal of legislative information.

Starting from March 16, 2022, Russia will withdraw from the Council of Europe International Cooperation Group on Drugs and Addiction (the Pompidou Group), the 1990 Partial Agreement of the Council of Europe establishing the European Commission for Democracy through Law, the open Partial Agreement on cooperation for the prevention of, protection against, and organization of relief in major natural and technological disasters, the Enlarged Partial Agreement on Sport, the Enlarged Partial Agreement on Cultural Routes and the Observatory on History Teaching in Europe, TASS reported.

Moreover, Russia will no longer participate in the work of the Council of Europe’s cultural support fund (Eurimages) and the European Audiovisual Observatory.