Ukraine’s allies are not yet ready to take practical steps to expel Russia from Security Council – Ukraine’s UN Ambassador

Serhii Kyslytsia, Ukraine’s Permanent Representative to the UN, is sceptical about the possibility of expelling Russia from the Security Council on the grounds of the dubious circumstances of its succession to the Soviet Union’s seat.

Source: Kyslytsia in an interview with BBC News Ukraine, as reported by European Pravda

Details: The Ukrainian diplomat stressed that any reform of the UN would only be possible with the consent of the permanent members of the Security Council.

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Quote from Kyslytsia: “Today there is not a single permanent member of the Security Council who would be prepared to talk about the fate of Russia, which sits in the seat of the Soviet Union – even among those countries who are sincere and most committed to supporting Ukraine and restoring [its] territorial integrity and sovereignty, but which are permanent members of the Security Council.”

According to Kyslytsia, “for various reasons”, other partners of Ukraine’s in Central and Eastern Europe that condemn Moscow unconditionally are also not ready to discuss the issue of Russia remaining on the UN Security Council.

He added that even if Russia were theoretically excluded from the Security Council, the UN would not have the tools to force Moscow to comply with its decisions.

“The whole world is dealing with a criminal regime that does not care about any of the provisions of international law, any decisions of the Security Council, any of the decisions that the UN Court has made since March last year, or any decisions made by any other courts. Therefore, as a result there must be a system that is not only able to make the right decisions, but also to implement such decisions,” Kyslytsia explained.

The issue of reforming the UN Security Council is particularly acute given Russia’s full-scale invasion, since Russia can use its veto to block any decisions that will hold it accountable for violating international law.

During his speech to the UN Security Council in September, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy presented proposals for reforming the UN: increasing the number of Security Council members, empowering the General Assembly to override Security Council vetos, and introducing a mechanism for preventing aggression via sanctions.

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