Ukraine calls for limitation of Russia's veto power in the UN
The Ukrainian Delegation to the UN pointed out the need to reform the United Nations Security Council due to abuses of veto powers by certain countries, particularly Russia, Ukrinform reports. "The reaction of the Security Council to serious violations of international law is slow and inconsistent,” Permanent Representative of Ukraine to the United Nations Volodymyr Yelchenko stated.
He recalled that Russia is defying international law by carrying out armed aggression against Ukraine while abusing its veto power in the UN Security Council.
"A temporary annexation of the Autonomous Republic of the Crimea and Sevastopol and the territories of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions clearly demonstrates that when a permanent member of the Security Council violates the basic principles of international law, it is the greatest threat to peace and security,” Yelchenko stated.
He recalled that Moscow has been applying "Revanchist policy" and military power against other States, including Moldova, Georgia, and Ukraine since the 1990’s. "The list of Russia’s violations and unlawful acts continues to grow, including consistent support of the oppressive government in Syria, secret operations against Great Britain and also secret murders in my country whose traces lead to the Kremlin,” Yelchenko added.
He stressed that Russia committed all these violations while systematically abusing its veto power and defying its obligations to maintain peace and security. "We believe that any potential scenario for reforming the Security Council without restricting the veto power of permanent members will be incomplete and will not bring the expected and necessary results,” Yelchenko noted.
In this regard, the Ambassador pointed out the need to strengthen the Security Council’s conflict prevention function and proposed to develop a "test algorithm" which would allow the Security Council to perform its functions "timely, properly and transparently" in conflict situations and also in response to aggression by states and governments.
The initiative to limit veto power was launched by France in 2013. However, talks about it intensified after Russia unilaterally vetoed the idea to establish an international tribunal to bring to justice those responsible for the infamous Boeing crash in the Donetsk region that resulted in deaths of 298 people. The United Kingdom, another permanent member of the UN Security Council supported France’s initiative.
On September 30, 2015, 67 States expressed the need to deny Russia’s veto power in the UN Security Council. In October that year, Deputy Head of the Presidential Administration Kostiantyn Yeliseiev said that more than 100 states were ready to support this decision.
The Academic Director of the Strategy and Security Institute of the University of Exeter, Patrick Porter pointed out in authoritative publications of American Interest magazine the lack of opportunities for international organizations, especially for the UN, to punish violators of international law because these violators control them.
The Russian Federation has repeatedly blocked the UN Security Council’s resolutions on Ukraine and Syria because Russia itself is a party to the conflict in these countries.