Russia was accused of 'cynicism' as it attended the first session of the UN Security Council under its presidency of the organisation.
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The Head of the European Union Delegation to the United Nations, Olof Skoog, has accused Russia of cynicism ahead of the first meeting of the UN Security Council since Russia took over the rotating presidency.
The UNSC met in New York on Monday.
Olof Skoog said: "I'm here with the 27 ambassadors of the European Union, and we want to make a statement in relation to the debate that's going to start in the Security Council in a couple of minutes. By organizing this debate, Russia is trying to portray itself as a defender of the UN charter and multilateralism. Nothing can be further from the truth. It's cynical. We all know that while Russia is destroying, we are building, while they violate, we protect the UN Charter, the UN General Assembly, the ICJ, and the ICC. Everywhere you look, Russia is in contempt."
The UN Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres was equally critical of Moscow.
"Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, in violation of the United Nations Charter and international law, is causing massive suffering and devastation to the country and its people, and adding to the global economic dislocation triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic," Guterres told the meeting.
But Russia's Minister for Foreign Affairs, Sergei Lavrov, who attended the session, had a different take on the situation.
"Once again, as during the Cold War, we have approached a dangerous, and perhaps even more dangerous line," claimed Lavrov. "The situation is aggravated by the loss of faith in multilateralism when the financial and economic aggression of the West destroys the benefits of globalisation, when the US and its allies abandon diplomacy and demand a showdown 'on the battlefield.' All this - within the walls of the UN, created to prevent the horrors of war."