Moscow is sending its foreign minister to the UN General AssemblyUN General Assembly in New York.
The Russian delegation will be led by foreign minister Sergey Lavrov to the UN General AssemblyUN General Assembly, which is scheduled to take place at the end of September in New York, the Kremlin announced on Monday. President Vladimir Putin does not intend to travel to the UNGA or even address the event online. It is not clear whether the US will allow Lavrov and other delegation to enter the country, even for the UN event.
According to a Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, there is no plan for Putin to travel to the US or address the world body. The Russian president signed a directive designating Lavrov as the head of the Russian delegation.
He will be joined by Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Vershinin and Russian Permanent Representative to the UN Vassily Nebenzia, Senator Grigory Karasin and Duma deputy Leonid Slutsky, who will chair the foreign affairs committees of their respective parliamentary chambers.
In March 2014, the US government sanctioned Slutsky over his support for Crimea rejoining Russia. Lavrov was added to the sanctions list on February 25, as Washington accused him of being directly responsible for Russia's unprovoked and unlawful invasion of Ukraine. Russia has dismissed the embargo by the US and its allies as unilateral and illegitimate.
The UN General AssemblyUN General Assembly traditionally takes place in the third week of September at the World Body's New York headquarters on the East River. This year s 77th session is scheduled to run from September 20 - 26.
Washington is responsible for recognizing the individuals who are credited by the UN under a series of treaties and conventions governing the US role as the host country of the UN. They are given full diplomatic immunity with respect to their official duties.
Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi said last week that he planned to visit New York and address the UNGA, even though the US sanctioned him in November 2019.