MOSCOW, June 21. /TASS/. Moscow hopes that Washington’s decision to withdraw from the United Nations Human Rights Council is not final, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said following talks with UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres.

"We hope that this decision is not final and the United States would reaffirm its commitment to the United Nations, particularly in an important area such as human rights," the Russian top diplomat stressed.

"As you know, the United States considers itself to be a champion in this field. But if it were so, Washington would have arguments that would allow it to continue working within the Human Rights Council, particularly with those who promotes initiatives and stances quite contrary to those of the US," Lavrov noted.

On June 19, US Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley told reporters that Washington was withdrawing from the Geneva-based United Nations Human Rights Council. In the past several months, Washington has many times criticized the council, particularly accusing it of having a biased attitude towards the United Nations and Israel. In 2017, Haley said that countries where human rights are violated on a regular basis could not be UN Human Rights Council members.