UN Security Council in need of reform due to doubts about its ability to maintain peace – Lithuanian president

Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda believes the UN Security Council is in need of reform amid Russia's war against Ukraine.

Nausėda stated at the UN Summit of the Future in New York that the lack of a multilateral response to Russia's aggression against Ukraine "has put forward serious doubts about the UN's ability to maintain global peace and security".

"Significant reforms of the Security Council are clearly needed. The UN must be empowered to stop and contain the aggressors," he said.

Nausėda stressed that countries should make efforts to restore ad rules-based international order, "which means supporting Ukraine in its fight for freedom and democracy".

The Lithuanian president also urged the international community to do more to curb Russia's ability to pursue its "colonial war".

Finnish President Alexander Stubb recently stated that UN Security Council reforms should involve expanding its membership, abolishing the single state veto, and expelling any member that engages in an "illegal war" such as Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will address the UN General Assembly on 25 September.