Finland’s president advocates for expulsion of Russia from UN Security Council and elimination of veto power

Finland proposed to reform the United Nations Security Council and exclude the Russian Federation from its membership due to aggression in Ukraine.

The President of Finland, Alexander Stubb, stated this in an interview with Reuters.

One of Stubb's key ideas is to abolish the veto power for permanent members of the Security Council. No country should have such a privilege, he said, because it creates an imbalance in global decision-making.

The President of Finland also proposes to expand the Security Council's permanent members. He believes that this body should also include:

• countries of Latin America,
• and two representatives each from Africa and Asia.

Stubb emphasized the importance of involving the countries of the Global South in the decision-making process at the UN, particularly representatives of Latin America, Africa, and Asia. In his opinion, without proper representation, these countries may lose interest in the organization, which will seriously affect its activities and future.

"My main message is that if the Global South, Latin America, Africa, and Asia countries do not get powers in the system, they will turn their backs on the United Nations. And we don't want that," says the Finnish leader.

The Finnish president also emphasized that countries waging illegal wars, such as Russia in Ukraine, should be excluded from the Security Council. He expressed hope that the international community would support this plan and implement it by the UN's 80th anniversary in 2025.

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It's important to mention that the United Nations General Assembly does not have the power to compel Russia to adhere to the Organization's Charter and international law standards. However, it does urge the Russian Federation to comply with them.

As reported, the UN General Assembly adopted several resolutions condemning Russian aggression against Ukraine, including the "Principles of the UN Charter underlying a comprehensive, just and lasting peace in Ukraine."

The final gathering of the 78th session of the UN General Assembly occurred on September 10. Today marks the beginning of the 79th session, during which Dennis Francis will hand over the chairmanship to Philémon Yang, the former Prime Minister of Cameroon elected as the head of the GA in June.