U.S. Congress to consider resolution to exclude russia from UN Security Council

The U.S. Congress submitted a resolution to exclude russia from the UN Security Council. It was introduced by two American lawmakers who head an independent government organization for human rights. This was reported on December 15 by the Foreign Policy American media outlet.

"Two U.S. lawmakers, Democrat Steve Cohen and Republican Joe Wilson, have introduced a resolution to the Congress that calls on President Joe Biden to boot Russia from the United Nations Security Council", - the message said.

As the media outlet writes, the bipartisan Helsinki Commission, which called on U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken to protest Russia’s standing as a permanent Security Council member in October, wants Congress to argue that "Russia’s war has violated the purposes and principles of the United Nations and asks the U.S. government agencies to take steps to limit Russia’s privileges at the UN".

In the congressional resolution shared with Foreign Policy, two U.S. lawmakers said that "Russia had committed flagrant violations of the UN Charter that call into question its right to hold a Security Council seat", including the illegal annexation vote in four Ukrainian oblasts, the perpetration of atrocities in Ukrainian cities such as Bucha, nuclear saber-rattling and creating risks to the world’s food supply.

It is indicated that Ukraine has also advocated for Russia to be removed from the council, "though experts remain skeptical that such efforts will work".

The American media outlet draws attention to the important point that the UN’s governing charter doesn’t contain any provisions for removing a permanent member of the Security Council.

While countries can be removed from the United Nations altogether, doing so would require a two-thirds majority vote in the General Assembly, including the unanimous consent of the council itself.

Thus, russia can veto this proposal. However, in this case, it is possible to appeal against the status of the russian federation as the successor to the seat of the Soviet Union in the Security Council.

As previously reported, Zelensky had accused russia of crimes against humanity at the UN Security Council.