The U.N. Security Council needs to change since Russia’s war against Ukraine has demonstrated a lack of a multilateral response to aggression, said Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda at the Summit for the Future in New York on September 23.
“Significant reforms of the Security Council are clearly needed. The UN must be empowered to stop and contain the aggressors,” Nausėda added.
The absence of a clear response to Russian aggression against Ukraine “has put forward serious doubts about [the] UN’s ability to maintain global peace and security,” the Lithuanian president said.
“I call for more efforts of [the] international community to limiting Russia’s ability to continue its colonial war,” Nausėda stated, adding that countries should return to supporting Ukraine based on the principles of international law.
In turn, Finnish President Alexander Stubb believes reforming the U.N. Security Council should include expanding its membership, abolishing the veto power for any state, and excluding any member involved in an “illegal war,” such as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, according to Reuters.
“No single state should have veto power in the UN Security Council,” Stubb said.
The Finnish president added his voice to calls for reform when the UN General Assembly convenes on September 25. Stubb also suggested increasing the number of permanent UN Security Council members from 5 to 10 by adding one representative from Latin America, two from Africa, and two from Asia.
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