The Center for Russian Studies held a round table on the topic “Isolation of Russia in International Organizations: Current Tasks”

The round table, which took place yesterday at the media center of the Directorate-General for Rendering Services to Diplomatic Missions, deserves the adjective not just “relevant”, but “extremely relevant”. Of course, the report on such an event will be prepared by its initiators themselves from the Center for Russian Studies. But I think that a few flattering words will be appropriate, because I attended the event and can compare it with those that are held from time to time, including in the above-mentioned media center.

Firstly, the leaders of the Center for Russian Studies proposed theses for discussion that are not inferior in their relevance to any others that are at the center of Ukrainians’ attention.

Secondly, the theses were discussed by professional diplomats and legal scholars from among our best professionals.

Thirdly, it is unlikely that we will have someone who can act as an opponent to the participants of the round table, regardless of what grounds he has for that. Because apart from the desire, one has to have experience, without which it is impossible to cope with any problem, not to mention international diplomatic one.

This was mainly discussed in the speeches of the participants of the round table on the topic “Isolation of Russia in International Organizations: Current Tasks”.

Head of the Center for Russian Studies Volodymyr Ohryzko (Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, 2007–2009) together with invited colleagues discussed the “grounds” for Russia’s participation in the work of the UN and other countries’ reaction to its activities there. After all, for example, the Russians got the right to a seat in the UN Security Council after the collapse of the USSR almost automatically, although, as Ukrainian diplomats said at the round table, there were some nuances. They were used by Moscow in 1991, when the Soviet Union was falling apart, and the leaderships of the newly created countries gathered in Almaty to discuss their further position in the world political field. It was then that the process of Russia’s taking over these rights “started”, which has now become actually a consequence of its illegal international activities, in particular, with regard to explanations of the Russian-Ukrainian war.

What could be today, for example, our counterarguments to Russia’s activities in the UN, when the Kremlin denies the criminal actions of its military during the attack on Ukraine? How to react to the position of some countries when they are not inclined to support the proposal to exclude the Russian Federation from respected international organizations, and what should be the arguments for influencing them? And how to deny the thesis of Russians when they chew on the thesis about “Russia as a successor country of the USSR”?

If we summarize what we heard from the speakers at the round table, then we should not give up countering Russia, regardless of how both, our allies and others, who do not want to plunge into our military problems or even sometimes seek to gain political benefits, try to influence us at the highest international political level. To do this, we must develop appropriate tactics of actions, determine our balanced arguments and counterarguments. The issue of excluding the Russian Federation from international organizations should not be put into the “bottom drawer”, but other grounds should be selected for this, entrusting this case to experienced Ukrainian diplomats and lawyers.

Oleh Makhno