At the UN Security Council, Ukrainian President “pokes a hornet's nest”

On the second day of the 78th UN General Assembly High-Level Week, much of the attention was once again focused on Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who attended a tense session at the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) where Russia is a permanent member.

Ukraine is not currently a member of the UNSC, but was invited to attend a session at the UN's most powerful body on the Eastern European country's lingering conflict.

Ultimately, the meeting between Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and the Ukrainian President did not materialize, as Mr. Zelensky left immediately after finishing his speech and before Mr. Lavrov arrived.

“Poking the hornet's nest”

In relatively brief comments at the session on September 20, Mr. Zelensky did not draw attention to the harsh realities on the battlefield, but instead took aim at the structure of the UNSC, the UN body empowered to take the toughest actions, including imposing sanctions and deploying military personnel.

Five countries – the United States, Russia, China, France and the United Kingdom – are permanent members of the UNSC (known as the P5) and have veto power. The remaining 10 seats rotate among the more than 170 other member states, serve two-year terms, and do not have veto power.

Unlike his speech to the General Assembly on September 19, this time Mr. Zelensky chose to speak in his native language.

World - At the UN Security Council, Ukrainian President — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at a session of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) during the 78th United Nations General Assembly in New York, September 20, 2023. Photo: The National News

The Ukrainian president supports changing UN rules to allow the General Assembly, which includes all 193 member states, to override a UNSC veto with a two-thirds vote. But the irony is that the change itself, if introduced, would be subject to a P5 veto.

Notably, neither US Secretary of State Antony Blinken nor UK Deputy Prime Minister Oliver Dowden – countries that do not want to see their power diminished – mentioned Mr Zelensky’s proposal in their speeches.

But this week, several other countries have raised the issue of restructuring the UNSC, arguing that the body needs to be more broadly representative and fair, and at least have its veto power limited, if not abolished.

“I think Mr. Zelensky thinks that by talking about UN reform, he is turning the war in Ukraine into a global cause,” Richard Gowan, UN director at the International Crisis Group (ICG), said in an interview.

“He is right that many UN members believe the UNSC is outdated and in need of reform, and the veto is particularly unpopular. But reforming the UNSC is like poking a hornet’s nest diplomatically, and the procedural and political obstacles to reforming the UNSC or changing the veto rules are very high,” said Mr. Gowan.

Mr. Zelensky also said that the UN was wrong to let Russia inherit the privileges of the Soviet Union after the bloc collapsed in the 1990s, “which for some reason is still here among the permanent members of the UNSC.”

As the Ukrainian leader spoke, Russia's Permanent Representative to the UN, Vasily Nebenzya, looked down at his phone and tapped the screen.

“Legal tools” in international relations

The Ukrainian president left the meeting room immediately after speaking, so there was no confrontation between him and Mr Lavrov – the top diplomat of Russian President Vladimir Putin.

World - At the UN Security Council, the President of Ukraine — A general view of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) meeting during the 78th United Nations General Assembly in New York, September 20, 2023. Photo: Shutterstock

In his speech to the UNSC, Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov accused the West of focusing only on its own geopolitical needs. He said this had “shaken global stability and exacerbated and provoked new hotspots of tension.” According to him, the risk of global conflict has increased.

Lavrov, who has been at the helm of Russian foreign policy for nearly 20 years, also defended Moscow's use of the veto at the UNSC as a "legitimate tool" in international relations.

Of the five permanent members, Russia is the most frequent user of the veto, with 120 vetoes so far. The United States is next with 82. China has used its veto multiple times, while Britain and France have not used their vetoes since 1989.

“The veto is a legitimate tool established in the UN Charter to prevent the adoption of decisions that could divide the organization,” Lavrov argued.

He said that “the West is raising the issue of abuse of the veto power and targeting some UN members”, which he said was an obvious reference to his country.

The Russian diplomat ended his speech with a comment expressing sympathy for Third World countries that are subject to UNSC sanctions.

“The humanitarian limitations of sanctions should be taken into account, that is, UN bodies should consider the humanitarian consequences of these sanctions, instead of the demagogic rhetoric of our Western colleagues,” the Russian foreign minister said.

Although Mr. Lavrov did not name any specific countries, many of the countries being sanctioned are allies of Russia, including Syria, Iran, North Korea, Cuba, Venezuela and Mali.

Mr Lavrov also spoke at length about the war in Ukraine, reiterating the argument that President Zelensky's administration discriminates against and mistreats Russian speakers, and that Moscow supports talks with Kiev but without preconditions .

Minh Duc (According to EFE/La Prensa Latina, NY Times, DW)

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