Foto: BB.LV / Десландес
Latvia's Ambassador to the UN: The Security Council is not the place where the outcome of the war in Ukraine will be decided. "We often hear criticism of the Security Council for being ineffective or unable to reach agreements on the most important global conflicts. But the Security Council is not the cause; the Security Council is a mirror of the geopolitical divide that exists among the great powers in the world. We cannot expect that competing countries, which have a very pronounced confrontation and ideological differences, will suddenly be able to come to an agreement in the Security Council. It is simply impossible," acknowledged Deslandes. On Sunday, November 1, Latvia began its presidency of the UN Security Council for the first time in history. One of Latvia's main tasks during its presidency will be to prevent the normalization of Russia's war against Ukraine on the international agenda, counter Russian disinformation, and explain the consequences of its aggression to the international community, the diplomat stated. "This is a decisive time for our country, our region, and for European security. Therefore, it is extremely important that we are in the Security Council right now. Thus, we use our participation in the Security Council to highlight every time what Russia is actually doing, what its policies are, how Russia brutally violates international law and the basic principles of the UN Charter. How this affects other countries both in terms of international law and directly — for example, when Russia attacks Ukraine's grain infrastructure, when Russia violates international law," said Deslandes. She acknowledged that due to Russia's veto power, the UN Security Council cannot make decisions aimed against the war unleashed by Russia in Ukraine. However, Latvia is using its time on the Security Council to "publicly highlight Russia's crimes, debunk false propaganda." This way, understanding of Russia's actions is growing among other member states. "This is a very good way to put pressure on Russia," said Latvia's Ambassador to the UN, expressing confidence that the overwhelming majority of UN member states clearly understand and see what Russia is doing. "But at the same time, perhaps for them, it is not an existentially primary issue. Our task is to constantly remind and explain, explain, explain. And that is what we are doing." As [reported](https://bb.lv/statja/politika/2026/11/01/vpervye-v-istorii-segodnia-latviia-vozglavila-sovet-v-kotoryi-vxodiat-ssa-i-rossiia) by BB.lv, Latvia's presidency of the UN Security Council will last for one month, during which Latvia will lead all official and unofficial meetings of the council and will be able to particularly highlight issues of international security that are important to it.
