Russia veto ‘mocks’ UN Security Council, says Penny Wong

Foreign Minister Penny Wong says Russia’s abuse of its UN Security Council veto to block action on its invasion of Ukraine shows the need to reform the institution.

Penny Wong addresses the UN Security Council. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Andrew Kelly

Foreign Minister Penny Wong says Russia’s abuse of its UN Security Council veto to block ­action on its invasion of Ukraine shows the need to reform the ­institution.

In an address to the council in New York during a debate on Ukraine, Senator Wong said the institution was not living up to its responsibility to maintain international peace.

“Russia’s abuse of its veto is mocking us all. It underlines the need for urgent reform of the Security Council, including constraints on the use of the veto,” she said.

“It has never been more necessary for this Security Council to uphold the principle of the sovereign equality of all members of these UN.”

Her comments followed those of Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky, who called on the Security Council to strip Russia of its veto, saying it would be unable to resolve conflicts around the world unless it stood up to Moscow. “Ukrainian soldiers are doing with their blood what the UN Security Council should do by its voting,” he said, declaring “veto power in the hands of the aggressor is what has pushed the UN into deadlock”.

Senator Wong said the Security Council should respect the sovereignty of UN member states, and “larger countries should not be able to determine the fate of smaller countries”.

“The veto was never intended to empower a country to abuse the UN Charter, to be above the law,” she said.

“But it has been more than 570 days since Russia launched its illegal and immoral full-scale invasion of Ukraine – a flagrant violation of the UN Charter by a permanent member of this body.”

Senator Wong called on the other permanent members to “be utterly unyielding in their pressure on Russia to end this war”.

Russia’s Foreign Minister, Sergei Lavrov, accused Western states of using the UN Charter in “a case-by-case basis exclusively based on their parochial geopolitical needs”.

Australia has long pushed for reform of the UN Security Council, where the “Permanent Five” members – Russia, China, the US, UK and France – can use a veto to block any resolution.