Ukraine's Ambassador names condition for rebooting UN
Illustrative photo: Andrii Melnyk names the condition for rebooting the UN (Getty Images)
No significant changes or geopolitical shifts that could affect the UN should be expected in the world in the coming years, states Ukraine’s Ambassador to Brazil, Andrii Melnyk, in an interview with RBC-Ukraine.
"Whether someone likes it or not, today the UN is the only universal international organization," Melnyk said.
Melnyk also emphasized that Ukraine has creative ideas regarding the creation of a parallel institution that could respond to today’s challenges, but he finds it difficult to imagine such a scenario.
"The first and main reason: let’s remember when exactly the UN was established. It was one of the outcomes of World War II. The creation of the UN essentially marked the political conclusion of that war," he continued.
According to him, specific preconditions are required for an organization to emerge that could replace the UN.
"In order for the conditions to arise for a new universal organization to replace the UN—if we’re being completely cynical—there would have to be a Third World War. And that’s something we definitely don’t want to see," the ambassador noted.
Melnyk expressed hope that Ukraine would prefer an optimistic scenario in which Russia suffers a devastating defeat. In that case, Russia would automatically lose its status as a permanent member of the UN Security Council and its veto power.
"Unfortunately, despite all our wishful thinking, such preconditions don’t exist, and they are unlikely to appear any time soon. This means that for us, for Ukraine, and particularly for my new mission, Ukrainians will have to operate within the existing framework," the diplomat believes.
However, he pointed out that many believe now is precisely the moment when a real opportunity for reforming the UN system is emerging, especially when it comes to the Security Council, as the key element of maintaining peace. In particular, there is growing discussion about expanding the number of permanent members of the UN Security Council.
"That’s something our Brazilian friends, in particular, are dreaming of. But I don’t see any real preconditions for this to actually happen. At least not in the coming years, during which I will be working at the UN," he stressed.
Ukraine recently initiated an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council and a special session of the OSCE Permanent Council following Russia’s missile strike on Kryvyi Rih on April 4.
At that time, the United States criticized Russia during the UN Security Council meeting for its attacks on Ukrainian territory.
