A US State Department spokesman told CNN that Washington opposes Russia's proposal to return to the UN Human Rights Council.
"We hope that the UN members will strongly reject this ridiculous nomination, as they did last year by an overwhelming majority," he said.
Russia was expelled from the UN Council in April last year. At the same time, according to the BBC, Russian diplomats are trying to get Russia re-elected to the Council for a new three-year term.
"Russia has committed violations of international humanitarian law and crimes against humanity in Ukraine, as well as human rights violations and abuses in Russia, including arbitrary arrests of Russians who are trying to exercise their freedom of expression to condemn Putin's brutal war," a State Department spokesman told CNN.
"Last October, the Council appointed a special rapporteur on the human rights situation in Russia, which once again demonstrated Russia's unfitness for membership in the Council," the State Department official added.
Background. As reported, Russian diplomats are trying to get Russia re-elected to the UN Council for a new three-year term.
The elections will be held in October and can be considered an important test of Moscow's international authority. Russia is distributing a document among UN members asking them to support its application. In it, Russia promises to find "adequate solutions to human rights issues" and is going to make efforts to prevent the Council from becoming "an instrument that serves the political will of one group of countries," apparently referring to Western states.