Speech in the UN Security Council
Zelenskyj complains about the impotence of the UN – calls for reforms
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky speaks at the UN Security Council. photo
© Michael Kappeler/dpa
For the first time since the Russian invasion of his country, the Ukrainian president is traveling to the United Nations in New York – and visiting its most important body. He expresses doubts about his power.
In a sensational appearance at the UN Security Council, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyj expressed his powerlessness United Nations complained and called for fundamental reforms.
The United Nations responded to problems with “rhetoric” instead of “real solutions,” Zelensky said on Wednesday at a round of the most powerful UN body in New York. The 45-year-old was personally represented there for the first time since the Russian war of aggression against his country began 19 months ago.
“Humanity no longer places its hopes on the UN when it comes to defending the sovereign borders of nations,” he warned. Zelensky called for a mechanism to overcome vetoes in the Security Council. He also advocated expanding the UN Security Council to include additional permanent members – such as Germany – and spoke out in favor of a system to respond early to attacks on the sovereignty of other states.
In a military shirt in the UN room
The UN Security Council met on the sidelines of the general debate at the United Nations. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov also spoke at the meeting later. However, he stayed away from Zelensky’s speech and sent the Russian UN ambassador Vasily Nebenzya into the group at the start. Zelenskyj, in turn, left the hall shortly after his own speech and was not present for Lavrov’s remarks. There was therefore no showdown between the two in the hall and the first public meeting between the two since the beginning of the war.
During his speech, Zelensky sat in an olive green shirt at the round table in the Security Council hall, opposite Nebenzya. The Ukrainian said 574 days of pain, loss and struggle have already passed since Russia invaded Ukraine. Russia has killed thousands of Ukrainians and made millions refugees. The United Nations would not have prevented this. “We should recognize that the UN is at an impasse on the issue of aggression,” he lamented.
Zelenskyj calls for Germany to have a permanent seat on the Security Council
Zelenskyj criticized that Russia’s veto right was blocking the United Nations. The UN General Assembly must be given the power to override such a veto. In addition, more members should be admitted to the UN Security Council, including Germany. “Germany has become one of the most important global guarantors of peace and security,” said Zelensky. It deserved a place among the permanent members of the Security Council. Latin America and the Pacific states should also be permanently represented there, as should the African Union. Asia also deserves a stronger presence. It is unfair if billions of people are not represented there.
The Security Council currently includes 15 of the 193 UN member states. Five nuclear powers are always present and have veto power over all decisions: the USA, China, Russia, Great Britain and France. Some of the other 188 member states take turns in the remaining ten seats every two years. Germany applies for a seat every eight years, the next time for 2027/28. The federal government also claims to be taken into account as Europe’s largest economic power if the number of permanent seats is expanded.
For years, the committee has been considered largely unable to act due to mutual blockades by the USA, China and Russia on key issues. Fundamental reform of the Security Council has been discussed for decades without any progress.
Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD), who followed Zelensky’s speech in the Security Council, also advocated for UN reform in his speech to the UN General Assembly on Tuesday evening.
Deter with advance sanctions?
During his speech, Zelensky also called for a system to respond early to attacks on the sovereignty of other states. The Russian invasion of Ukraine showed what benefits such a mechanism could have and what effects powerful sanctions against an aggressor could have – in the phase of building up the invasion army. “Anyone who wants to start a war should, before making a fatal mistake, see what exactly he will lose if the war were to begin,” he warned. “We should not wait until the aggression is over. We must act now.”
With regard to Russia, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said it was difficult to imagine a permanent member of the UN Security Council showing more disregard for the United Nations and the rules it sets. Blinken also urged Security Council members not to lose sight, from a comfortable distance, of the horrors Ukrainian families face every day in the war.
Russia opposes this
During his appearance, Lavrov, in turn, gave a long historical account of the developments in Crimea, which his country occupied in 2014, and the subsequent negotiations with the West. He accused the West of demagoguery. In the rhetoric of Russia’s Western opponents you can hear the slogans “invasion”, “aggression”, “annexation”, but not a word about the causes of the problems.
On Tuesday, Zelenskyj spoke at the UN general debate and portrayed Russia’s war against his country and as an attack on the entire world. He warned UN member countries that they could be the next victims of Russian aggression. After his visit to New York, Zelensky wanted to travel on to Washington. Meetings with US President Joe Biden and members of Congress are planned there on Thursday. The United States is Ukraine’s most important ally in the defense against Russia.