Russia's veto power has brought the UN to a standstill: Zelensky proposes to reform the organization

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy believes that the UN General Assembly should be given a real opportunity to override the veto of a member of the Security Council.

"Everyone in the world sees what exactly makes the UN incapacitated. In this chair in the Security Council, which Russia occupies illegally through backstage manipulations after the collapse of the Soviet Union, there are liars whose job is to justify the aggression and genocide committed by Russia," he said, speaking at a meeting of the UN Security Council on Wednesday.

The veto in the hands of the aggressor is what has brought the UN to a standstill, he emphasized, and Russia is using the veto to the detriment of all other UN members.

"The veto should not serve as a weapon for those who are obsessed with hatred and war," Zelenskyy emphasized.

He announced three steps to reform the UN.

"The UN General Assembly should be given a real opportunity to override the veto. This is the first necessary step. Provided that two-thirds of the votes reflect the will of the nations from Asia, Africa, Europe, both Americas, and the Pacific – a global qualified majority – the veto should be really overcome, and such a resolution of the General Assembly should be binding on all member states.

Second step. The UN Security Council must be fully accountable to the nations of the world. I welcome the proposals of various leaders to expand the representation of nations in the Security Council. The circle of permanent members of the Security Council should reflect the present.

The African Union should be here permanently. Asia deserves a larger permanent representation. Germany deserves a permanent seat on the Security Council. Latin America should be represented here – permanently. And the Pacific states.

At the same time, any participation of any Security Council member state should be suspended for the time when such a state is engaged in aggression against another nation in violation of the UN Charter.

Third step. We need a system of aggression prevention through early response to actions against the territorial integrity and sovereignty of states. This includes powerful sanctions against the aggressor. Anyone who wants to start a war must see, even before making a fatal mistake, what they will lose if they start a war. The issue of applying preventive sanctions should be submitted to the UN Security Council automatically when any member of the General Assembly declares a threat of aggression," Zelenskyy said.

He emphasized that this could be a key reform that would restore the force of the UN Charter.