Ukraine calls for Russia’s isolation from the UN Security Council

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Ukraine called for Russia’s removal as a permanent member of the UN Security Council on Monday.

Ukraine’s foreign ministry said in a statement that “Ukraine calls on the member states of the United Nations … to deprive the Russian Federation of its status as a permanent member of the UN Security Council and to exclude it from the United Nations as a whole.” on Monday.

The statement said Russia had illegally occupied “the Soviet Union’s seat on the UN Security Council” since the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991.

The ministry added that “from a legal and political point of view, there can be only one conclusion: Russia is a usurper of the Soviet Union’s seat on the UN Security Council.”

“Three decades of its illegal presence in the United Nations were marked by wars and the seizure of the lands of other countries,” the statement said.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said the question of Russia’s veto-wielding permanent seat on the UN Security Council – which is also occupied by the United States, Britain, France and China – is already being discussed in diplomatic circles.

“These issues have not yet been discussed at press conferences and in public statements by leaders of states and governments, but at a lower level people are already asking the question – what should Russia be like so that it does not pose a threat to peace and security?

The powerful 15-member Security Council is charged with addressing global crises by enacting sanctions, authorizing military action, and approving changes to the United Nations Charter.

But the Permanent Five—all of whom hold veto power that can block any decision—reflect the power dynamics at the end of World War II.

Countries have long called for Security Council reform, with some criticizing the lack of representation when it comes to permanent seats for African and Latin American nations.

The body can also be rendered powerless by a single member with veto power — as demonstrated in February when diplomats went on to read pre-written statements about the time Russia began bombing Ukraine.

US President Joe Biden said in September that he supported expanding the Security Council and for it to become “more inclusive” — a rare call for action from Washington, given that it famously bypassed the council for invading Iraq during the George W. Bush administration.

Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Western powers have observed UN procedural rules to ensure that Russia cannot block Security Council meetings.

They turned to another UN body – the 193-member General Assembly – with a request to condemn the Kremlin’s actions.

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