Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), joined by Representative Claudia Tenney (R-NY-22), introduced a joint resolution to ask the Biden administration to remove Russia from the United Nations Security Council.
If Russia were removed from the position, the country would no longer have veto power as a permanent member of the council.
The resolution is another provision inspired by Russia’s unprovoked attack on Ukraine, which has assaulted the country for almost one week.
“The Russian government is actively killing innocent Ukrainian civilians, committing war crimes, and invading sovereign territory unprovoked. At the same time, Moscow is driving decisions in the United Nations through its role as a permanent member of the Security Council. Russia must be exiled from the international community,” said Blackburn. “Putin is attempting to rebuild the Soviet Union and his ambassador should not be allowed to veto the United Nations’ response to Russian aggression. The Russian Federation is a direct threat to global security and the sovereignty of our international partners.”
The duo argued, by allowing Russia to keep its position, the entire United Nations is undermined.
“Russia is setting a new and dangerous precedent by abusing its role on the UN Security Council to shield itself from accountability for its blatantly illegal and unprovoked invasion of a sovereign country. This resolution is certainly a tall order given the procedural hurdles it faces in the Security Council, but it does not mean Congress should back down. If international bodies are to garner the trust of the American people, symbolic efforts such as this are vital. We must call out the hypocrisy of Russia’s actions, and force Moscow to publicly defend its continued position on such an important body given its reckless actions and increasingly rogue status on the international stage,” added Tenney.
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Cooper Moran is a reporter for The Tennessee Star and The Star News Network. Email tips to [email protected].
