Russia will not allow the UN Security Council to be expanded at the expense of Western countries

Moscow's position on UN Security Council reform

Russia will not allow Western countries to be granted additional seats on the United Nations Security Council. Kirill Logvinov, director of the Russian Foreign Ministry's department of international organizations, emphasized in an interview with TASS that the only way to bring the Security Council into line with modern realities is to strengthen the role of the countries of the 'world majority', not the Western minority. According to the diplomat, Moscow's approaches to modernizing the organization's structure have already stood the test of time and are understood by other member states.

Alternative scenario and priorities

Instead of expanding seats for Western states, Russia proposes focusing on strengthening the positions of countries in Asia, Africa and Latin America. As previously reported, Anna Evstigneeva, deputy permanent representative of the Russian Federation to the UN, warned about attempts to bring into the Security Council Western allies tied to the EU and NATO, and stated that Moscow will oppose such a scenario. In October, Russia's acting permanent representative to the UN also drew attention to the need for reform to strengthen the role of the African continent in the work of the world organization.

Legal and procedural aspects

Any changes to the composition of the Security Council, which currently comprises 15 countries (five permanent members with veto power and ten non-permanent members), require amendments to the UN Charter. This process is impossible without the consent of all five permanent members, including Russia, the United States, China, the United Kingdom and France. Thus, Moscow's declared position effectively blocks any initiatives to increase the number of seats for Western states within the current structure of the Charter.