Notably missing,however,was Putin’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov,who only arrived at the meeting once Zelensky had left,avoiding a highly anticipated showdown.
Zelensky was scathing – not only of Russia’s aggression but also of the UN’s inability to act against it.
“Humankind no longer pins hopes on the UN when it comes to the defence of the sovereign borders of nations,” he said.
“The problems that are met here within these walls are met with rhetoric,rather than real solutions;with aspirations to compromise with killers rather than to protect lives… We should recognise that the UN itself is in a deadlock on the matters of aggression.”
The Security Council debate followed Zelensky’s speech to the General Assembly where he called for global unity against Russia’s aggression amid fears that public support is waning.
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But his comments also highlighted a longstanding problem with the UN’s structure,renewing calls for reform of its 15-member Security Council.
While the group has met dozens of times to discuss Ukraine,it hasn’t taken any meaningful action because Russia is one of the “P5”,or permanent veto-wielding members,along with the United States,France,Britain and China.
Indeed,one of the most notable examples of the council’s impotence happened on February 24 last year,when Putin appeared on national TV at 6am while still dark in Moscow,announcing he would be launching an invasion of Ukraine – as council members convened a special meeting urging the Russian strongman not to attack.
It is unlikely the veto provision would be removed — none of the permanent members favour doing so. And this year,only one of the five members’ leaders – US President Joe Biden – even bothered to show up,prompting renewed questions about the body’s overall influence.
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Asked about the need for UN reform on Wednesday,Australia’s Foreign Affairs Minister Penny Wong,who is in New York for the general assembly,acknowledged the current structure “doesn’t reflect the economic and geopolitical configuration that we see in the world today”.
When pressed about what UN reform should look like,she added:“I think Australia is up for discussion about how we might look to ensure that the United Nations better responds to the needs of the international community and the reality of today.
“We’ve already said we think the[Security Council] should be expanded... And so it would benefit from reform,but that’s a discussion that countries of the world will need to have together.”
Australia is one of several countries pushing for reform of the council,seeking its own seat as it lobbies for “small and medium-sized” countries from Africa,Latin America and Asia to also have a greater say.
Biden has also argued for change,suggesting that the veto power the UN holds should only be used in exceptional circumstances.
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