Russia has taken the presidency of the UN Security Council despite Ukraine urging members to block the move.
The last time Russia had the presidency, February 2022, it launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
It means the Security Council is being led by a country whose president is subject to an international arrest warrant for alleged war crimes.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba called Russia's presidency "the worst joke ever for April Fool's Day" and a "stark reminder that something is wrong with the way international security architecture is functioning".
The US has said its hands were tied as the UN charter does not allow for the removal of a permanent member.
"Unfortunately, Russia is a permanent member of the Security Council and no feasible international legal pathway exists to change that reality," White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told a news briefing this week.
She added the US expects Moscow "to continue to use its seat on the council to spread disinformation" and justify its actions in Ukraine.
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