Zelensky claims that the Russian veto renders the UN Security Council impotent
Volodymyr Zelensky, the president of Ukraine, has attacked the UN Security Council and called it “ineffective” because of Russia’s veto power. Zelensky highlighted that the total departure of Russian forces from Ukraine is the only way to achieve enduring peace during his remarks at a special Security Council meeting.
Zelensky’s speech was a landmark event since it constituted the highest-level direct debate inside the UN over the continuing violence in Ukraine.
The five permanent members of the UN Security Council—China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom, and the United States—have the exclusive right to veto any resolution. These countries have the right to “veto” or obstruct every key resolution or decision that the Security Council proposes. This implies that a resolution cannot be accepted if even one of these five nations objects to it. It applies regardless of how many other UN member nations vote in favor of it.
A controversial topic in the UN has been the permanent members’ use of the veto power. Particularly when the P5 members disagree on crucial global issues, it may lead to impasse or inactivity.
For the remainder, what does the Russian veto mean?
Sergei Lavrov, the foreign minister of Russia, defended Moscow’s use of the veto and argued for its validity. He said that Kiev and Western countries only adhered to certain of the UN Charter’s tenets in 1945. He said that they just use them when it is convenient. Within the UN, this interaction ignited a contentious controversy.
On February 24, 2022, Russia invaded Ukraine, sparking the start of the battle between the two countries. Numerous important Ukrainian cities, including Berdyansk, Chernihiv, Kharkiv, Odesa, Sumy, and the capital, Kiev, came under siege by Russian troops. 9,614 fatalities have been reported in Ukraine as of September 2023, according to the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights. It serves as a striking reminder of the conflict’s continued human cost.
