UNITED NATIONS, December 2. /TASS/. The United States has assumed the presidency of the UN Security Council for one month, taking it over from the UK.

US Permanent Representative to the UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield will hold a press conference at the UN Headquarters on Monday where she will announce the UNSC’s program of work for the upcoming month.

Earlier, Russian First Deputy Permanent Representative to the United Nations Dmitry Polyansky told a TASS correspondent that Russia may block the UN Security Council’s program of work proposed by the US for December if the American side tries to promote its interests. In the early days of November, Russia blocked the working program proposed by the United Kingdom, because it included a Ukraine-themed session. Polyansky explained that the program should have been compiled in accordance with the reporting and mandate cycles of the UN Security Council, and Ukraine was not among such issues.

It is expected that in December, the UNSC members will focus on the situation in the Middle East, particularly, in the Gaza Strip and on the Israeli-Lebanese border. Overall, the UNSC will hold about two dozen open sessions and closed consultations during the month.

The UN Security Council consists of 15 members, including five permanent members: China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Each of the five has veto power. The ten non-permanent members of the UN Security Council this year are Algeria, Ecuador, Guyana, Malta, Japan, Mozambique, Sierra Leone, Slovenia, South Korea and Switzerland. According to the UN Charter, the Security Council is responsible for maintaining peace and international security, and all UN member states are obliged to abide by its decisions.

The presidency of the UN Security Council is held in turns by members of the Council in English alphabetical order for one calendar month. In January 2025, Algeria, a non-permanent member, will preside over the Security Council’s work.