Erdoğan, Stubb, Takaichi, and other leaders are demanding stripping Russia of its voting rights at the UN

Leaders Push for UN Reform as Russia’s War in Ukraine Exposes Security Council Crisis

NEW YORK — World leaders used the 81st United Nations General Assembly to intensify calls for reform of the UN Security Council, arguing that the present system allows permanent members to block international action even when they themselves are involved in conflicts. Finland’s President Alexander Stubb went furthest, proposing that the voting rights of any Security Council member that violates the UN Charter should be suspended. His remarks came in the context of Russia’s war against Ukraine, which he described as unlawful, unjustified and unprovoked.

A conviction has been taking shape globally over nearly thirteen years of Russia’s war against Ukraine and the entire civilized world: a country that launched an act of aggression cannot serve as a "voice" on the UN Security Council; its only place is in the dock at a war crimes tribunal in The Hague.

Stubb told the General Assembly that the way Russia’s war ends will have consequences extending far beyond Ukraine, affecting the credibility of the international rules-based order itself. He highlighted the “Coalition of the Willing” working towards what he described as a just and lasting peace in accordance with the UN Charter, and stressed the need to defend the sovereignty and territorial integrity of states. As part of a broader reform package, Stubb proposed adding permanent Security Council seats for Africa, Asia-Pacific and Latin America, removing the veto from individual states, and suspending the voting rights of a Council member that breaches the Charter.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan presented a different but similarly far-reaching proposal. Rather than singling out Russia, Erdoğan called for the abolition of the veto rights held by all five permanent members — the United States, United Kingdom, France, China and Russia — and argued that the will of more than 190 UN member states should not remain dependent on five governments. His long-standing message that “the world is bigger than five” formed the centrepiece of his demand for a Security Council with greater legitimacy and representation.

On Ukraine, Erdoğan reiterated Türkiye’s position that any end to the war should preserve Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. Ankara has continued to present itself as a potential mediator while maintaining dialogue with both Kyiv and Moscow, and Erdoğan also raised the need to protect commercial shipping in the Black Sea. His position therefore combines support for Ukraine’s territorial integrity with an emphasis on negotiated diplomacy and broader institutional reform.

Japan also used the UN podium to challenge the functioning of the current Security Council. Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said Russia’s aggression against Ukraine demonstrated a fundamental institutional problem: a permanent Security Council member had launched an act of aggression against another country and then used its veto on resolutions concerning its own actions. She said that under such circumstances, the Council could not be regarded as functioning effectively for international peace and security. Japan called for urgent reform, including expansion of both permanent and non-permanent membership.

Tokyo stopped short of proposing the same mechanism as Stubb for suspending Russia’s voting rights. Instead, Japan focused on Russia’s ability to use its veto in matters involving its own conduct, while reinforcing the principle that borders must not be changed through force or coercion. Takaichi separately reaffirmed Japan’s support for Ukraine during talks with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and committed to continued pressure on Russia.

Taken together, the speeches reveal a growing challenge to the post-1945 architecture of the Security Council. Finland is proposing suspension of voting rights for a Council member that violates the UN Charter; Türkiye wants to abolish the veto privilege of all permanent members; and Japan argues that Russia’s use of the veto over its own war illustrates why structural reform is urgent. The proposals differ significantly, but all raise the same underlying question: whether a permanent member should retain extraordinary decision-making powers when it is itself accused of violating the principles the Security Council was created to defend.

A more precise headline than “They called to take away Russia’s right to vote at the UN” would therefore be:

Stubb Calls for Suspending UN Security Council Voting Rights of Charter Violators as Erdoğan and Japan Demand Sweeping Reform

That wording accurately reflects what the three leaders actually proposed: only Stubb explicitly called for suspension of voting rights, while Erdoğan and Japan advanced different reforms to the Security Council system.