KYIV, Jan 4 – Ukraine has initiated the process of delegitimization of Russia's presence in the UN Security Council and is now preparing for the next steps along this path, a number of countries have already supported Ukraine's position in public comments, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said.

"At the end of December, we took important steps to deprive Russia of its status as a permanent member of the UN Security Council and a member of the UN as a whole. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs cited unconditional evidence of the usurpation of the Russian Federation's seat in the Security Council, bypassing the procedures determined by the UN Charter. Frankly, in a number of capitals they were surprised to learn about the fact of the illegal presence of the Russian Federation in the Security Council. A number of countries have already supported Ukraine's position in public comments, while others share the view without speaking about it publicly yet," Kuleba said at an online briefing on Wednesday.