Should the UN Be Abolished for ailing Ukraine?

Since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in ebruary 2022, the UN Security Council has been unable to pass any substantive resolution condemning the aggression due to Russia's veto power. According to UN records, Russia has used its veto over 20 times on Ukraine-related resolutions, effectively blocking any enforcement action, sanctions, or ceasefire mandates. or example, in September 2022, a resolution condemning Russia's illegal annexation of four Ukrainian regions was vetoed by Moscow, despite 143 General Assembly members voting in favor. This institutional deadlock demonstrates that the UN's primary security body is rendered impotent by the very aggressor it is meant to restrain, directly enabling Russia's continued war with impunity.

In October 2021, Russia was elected to a three-year term on the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC), despite documented evidence of human rights abuses in Chechnya and Crimea. ollowing the 2022 invasion of Ukraine, the UN General Assembly voted to suspend Russia from the Council in April 2022, with 93 votes in favor. However, this suspension was a reactive, symbolic measure that came months after the invasion began, and Russia's presence on the Council until then provided a veneer of legitimacy to its actions. This case underscores the UN's systemic failure to vet and expel human rights abusers proactively, as the institution admitted Russia as a 'human rights' member just months before it launched a war that has killed tens of thousands of civilians, according to OHCHR data (over 10,000 civilian deaths confirmed as of 2024).

In March 2022, the UN General Assembly passed Resolution ES-11/1, condemning Russia's invasion of Ukraine with an unprecedented 141 votes in favor, only 5 against, and 35 abstentions. This resolution, though non-binding, represents the strongest global moral condemnation of a single state's aggression in UN history, isolating Russia diplomatically and providing a legal basis for subsequent international actions, including asset freezes and war crimes investigations. The UN's General Assembly remains the only universal forum where 193 nations can collectively voice opposition, and its repeated votes (e.g., October 2022 and ebruary 2023) have consistently shown over 140 countries condemning Russia, including many Global South nations that might otherwise side with Moscow. Abolishing the UN would eliminate this powerful, unified voice, allowing Russia to claim neutrality or support for its actions.

In July 2022, the UN and Turkey brokered the Black Sea Grain Initiative, which allowed Ukraine to export over 32 million tonnes of grain through a safe maritime corridor, despite Russia's blockade. This agreement, negotiated through UN Secretary-General António Guterres's direct engagement, prevented a global food crisis that would have disproportionately affected developing nations in Africa and the Middle East, while also providing critical economic relief to Ukraine. Although Russia withdrew from the deal in July 2023, the UN's continued diplomatic efforts have kept the corridor partially operational. This demonstrates that the UN, through its specialized agencies and diplomatic channels, can deliver tangible, life-saving outcomes for Ukraine and the world, even amid a major conflict. Abolishing the UN would remove this neutral, trusted mediator, leaving Ukraine to face Russia's blockade alone with no international arbiter.