Russia's permanent membership of UN Security Council is questionable - MEP Kalniete

RIGA - Russia's status as a permanent member of the United Nations (UN) Security Council is morally, politically, and legally questionable, Sandra Kalniete (New Unity), a Latvian member of the European Parliament (EP), believes.

Ahead of the vote on the EP's recommendations to the 81st session of the UN General Assembly, the European People's Party (EPP) Group is calling for reform of the UN Security Council, limiting the veto rights, giving the UN General Assembly a greater role in cases where the Security Council is paralyzed, and reviewing Russia's permanent membership of the Security Council, Linda Berzina, EP spokesperson for the EPP Group, told LETA.

The EPP Group believes that the UN Security Council needs to be reformed to better reflect today's global realities. The veto should not be allowed to impede UN action against war crimes and crimes against humanity. The UN should be more effective, more efficient, and better adapted to the changing global situation, the EPP Group believes.

"Russia's claim for the permanent seat of the Soviet Union on the UN Security Council was granted in the chaos and euphoria that followed the collapse of the Soviet Union, but the matter was never resolved by a clear legal decision," stresses Kalniete.

Formally, Ukraine and Belarus had equal grounds to claim succession, she said, because they signed the Belovezha Accords with Russia in December 1991, while the other former Soviet republics also took over the rights and obligations of the Soviet Union.

Kalniete also notes that Russia is now the greatest threat to international peace and security, it is blatantly violating the basic principles of international law, and undermining the UN system from within.

"It is sabotaging all peace efforts, increasing global insecurity, and adding to the energy crisis by supporting Iran's attacks in the Persian Gulf. Russia's place on the Security Council is called into question every time Moscow uses its veto to paralyze the UN," the MEP said.

MEP Andrey Kovatchev, who has drafted the EP's recommendations to the next UN General Assembly, notes that Russia has started and continues to wage full-scale war, committing atrocities and openly violating the UN Charter, while there is also a legal problem - Article 23 of the UN Charter names the Soviet Union, not Russia, as a permanent member.

"Russia simply took over the seat without a formal decision, with a unilateral declaration. This is based on tacit consent and political practice, not on a clear legal decision," Kovatchev said.

As reported, Latvia is serving as a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council from January 1, 2026, until December 31, 2027.