The Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs plans to raise the question of Russia’s status in the UN Security Council. This was stated by the ministry’s head, Dmitry Kuleba, during a televised fundraising broadcast.
“We will formally present our position. The question is straightforward: does Russia have the right to stay as a permanent member of the UN Security Council and to participate in the United Nations at large? Our answer is clear and logical — no, it does not,” he stated.
“People are asking how Russia could avoid threatening peace and security, but these questions have not yet been addressed in official press conferences or by national leaders,” the diplomat noted.
Further updates from Kyiv
About a week earlier, Kuleba announced that Ukraine would formally demonstrate Russia’s continuation in the Security Council as a permanent member is without proper legal justification. Kyiv would also show that Moscow obtained the seat through a questionable plan.
“Ukraine is preparing to take official steps to prove that the Russian Federation remains illegally a member of the UN Security Council and to initiate a political process to revoke that status,” Kuleba said.
He acknowledged that the process would be challenging. Still, the minister asserted that the time has come to speak clearly about “Russia’s usurpation of a seat in the UN Security Council and the United Nations as a whole.”
“Not intrigues and maneuvers that would suit Russia, but international law is what Ukraine will insist on,” Kuleba cautioned.
On October 22, the Ukrainian foreign minister again urged removing Russia from the list of permanent UN Security Council members: “After its aggression against Ukraine and repeated actions undermining global food and energy security, Russia remains in the UN. Should it hold a permanent seat?”
Ukraine has pressed Western partners for this move for almost a year. Earlier, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, addressing a UN Security Council meeting via video link, stated that “Russia does not have the right to participate in discussions and votes on an unprovoked war in Ukraine.” He called the conflict colonial in nature and noted that Russia has no right to remain in the Security Council.
What the United States thinks about Russia’s UN seat
The White House has indicated that suspending Russia’s UN Council membership is not currently possible.
“If there were a way to suspend Russia’s membership, we would pursue it immediately. Yet the UN’s rules do not permit that option at the moment,” said Karine Jean-Pierre, the spokesperson for the U.S. administration.
According to the spokesperson, Russia’s actions in Ukraine violate the UN Charter and undermine the Security Council’s mandate. The U.S. is actively working to limit Russia’s influence across UN bodies.
European Union stance
Like the United States, the EU accepts that removing Russia from its UN Security Council seat is not feasible at present. However, President of the European Council Charles Michel, in an interview, suggested a freeze mechanism as a possible option.
“A suspension mechanism should be established: not full exclusion, but at least a temporary halt to Russia’s Security Council membership.”
Michel warned that such a move could trigger UN security stalemate. He also identified a gap in international law, arguing that a permanent member of the UN Security Council might violate current norms if its membership is not reconsidered in light of new geopolitical realities.
Observers note that the UN Security Council was already facing significant challenges before the current conflict, with many difficulties in addressing major global issues. The EU representative signaled that the UN system would benefit from reforms to reflect the balance of today’s world order.
Russia’s reply
Russia has repeatedly argued that the UN Charter prohibits excluding a permanent member from the Security Council.
In mid-March, Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Vershinin described any such initiative as “absolutely unrealistic,” explaining that a two-thirds UN majority vote would be required and that all five permanent members, including Russia, would have a veto. He told Izvestia that such a decision would not pass.
The permanent members of the UN Security Council are Russia, the United States, China, the United Kingdom and France, each wielding a veto within the council.