In sharp language, Zelensky recalls the tragedies of Arab countries and calls for comprehensive reform of the Security Council

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, in a speech to the Security Council, on Tuesday, called on the United Nations to reform its system and act to confront war crimes, recalling what happened in Syria, Somalia, Libya and Yemen.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Tuesday urged the United Nations to act "immediately" to confront Russia's "war crimes" in his country, or else the United Nations would have to "simply close its doors".

In a speech he delivered via a video call to the Security Council, the Ukrainian president recalled the massacres that occurred in Arab countries, saying: "The massacres in Syria, Somalia, Yemen and Libya were supposed to stop long ago, because if we punish a tyrant, all tyrants will be deterred."

Zelensky also called on the United Nations to reform its system that gives Russia a permanent member of the Security Council a veto, saying that everything must be done to ensure the effective functioning of the international organization.

He asked, "Where is the security that the Security Council should guarantee? It does not exist. Although there is a Security Council, then where is the peace?"

"Now we need Security Council resolutions for peace in Ukraine. If you don't know how to make this decision, you can do two things," he added.

"Either you exclude Russia as an aggressor and initiator of war, so that you do not impede decisions on its aggression, and then do everything in your power to achieve peace, or show that we can reform or change (...) and if It wasn't an alternative or an option, the next option will be to dissolve yourselves."

Zelensky confirmed that his country has compelling evidence of what Russia committed in Bucha, and said that they will provide satellite images confirming its involvement.

After the Ukrainian president's speech, Russia's UN delegate told Zelensky, "The West is ready to fight in your country until the last Ukrainian, so take the right decisions now before it's too late."

Russia's delegate confirmed the "evacuation" of 600,000 people from Ukraine to Russia, and also denied their "forced" transfer.

On February 24, Russia launched a military operation in Ukraine, which was followed by angry international reactions and the imposition of "tough" economic and financial sanctions on Moscow.

To end the operation, Russia requires Ukraine to abandon any plans to join military entities, including the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), and to adhere to complete neutrality, which Kyiv considers an "interference in its sovereignty."

Because of sanctions, Russian gas revenues in March were 38% lower than expected

Russia's revenues from oil and gas sales declined significantly in March, according to data published by the Russian Ministry of Finance. It was found that Moscow earned 302 billion rubles, while expectations were for about 790 billion rubles.

Data released by the Russian Finance Ministry on Tuesday showed that Russia received $3.6 billion in revenue from oil and gas sales in March, 38% lower than the ministry's forecast, indicating that the Ukraine war and Western sanctions have hurt exports.

Russia made much less profit than expected from oil and gas sales in March, and the Kremlin appears to have underestimated the impact of the Ukraine war , Business Insider reported .

Revenue from oil and gas sales in March amounted to 302 billion rubles ($3.6 billion), or 38% less than the Russian Finance Ministry's forecast published on March 3, according to ministry data released Tuesday.

Russia is a major supplier of oil and the largest exporter of gas in the world, and Europe usually gets about 40% of its natural gas from Russia. However, European and other Western countries turned off Russian supplies in the wake of the invasion of Ukraine.

On March 3, the Russian Ministry of Finance expected that the state would generate about 790 billion rubles in revenues from oil and natural gas sales during the month, while the actual figure was closer to 488 billion rubles.

The Ministry of Finance noted lower-than-expected natural gas exports and changes in energy tax rules.

It also said its oil and gas revenue in February was 216.4 billion rubles less than expected. However, it said it expected to generate 798.4 billion rubles in additional revenue from energy sales in April.

US President Joe Biden has pledged to ban Russian energy imports, while the European Commission has indicated it may cut European Union demand for Russian gas by two-thirds before the end of the year, under a plan to diversify supplies.

The United States has offered to ship more LNG to its allies to help reduce Russian exports.