Subject to a new round of EU sanctions, Russia will “boycott” the meeting with the UN Security Council?

Diplomats say Russia will “boycott” the annual meeting of the United Nations Security Council on May 4 with the EU’s Political and Security Committee (PSC), a sign of the growing relationship Relations between Russia and its partners in the UN Security Council are deteriorating.

The annual informal meeting between the council and the PSC has not been held since 2019 due to the Covid-19 pandemic. This meeting is expected to discuss the EU’s cooperation with the UN in the countries where both organizations are conducting activities.

Since Russia launched a special military operation in Ukraine, relations between Moscow and other countries in the United Nations have rapidly deteriorated.

Russia, one of the five permanent members of the Security Council, has been removed from several UN agencies, including the human rights council.

At a press conference on May 3, US Ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield, who will assume the position of President of the Security Council in May 2022, affirmed that the Security Council continues to operate normally.

The council has been successful in “isolated Russia” since late February 2022, she said.

“It was a remarkable success. We succeeded in unifying the voices condemning Russia in the General Assembly,” Ms. Thomas-Greenfield said, noting that Russia had escaped the condemnation of the Congress. Council at the end of February 2022 thanks to the country’s veto power.

“Russia is isolated in the Security Council. Whenever we discuss issues related to the Ukraine conflict, they are always on the defensive. We will continue to push them on the defensive until Moscow ends the operation.” , she told reporters.

Russia is also currently facing new sanctions from the EU targeting its oil industry.

Specifically, the European Commission (EC) will discuss the EU’s sixth package of sanctions against Moscow at the meeting of European commissioners on May 4, European Commissioner for Energy Kadri Simson told. Reporters, Trend reports cite TASS.

“The EC will have its next meeting, after which I am sure President Ursula von der Leyen will provide more information,” she said.

When asked if a decision on an EU embargo on Russian oil would be made soon, Kadri said that the European Commission was “making a list of further sanctions”.