There could be a twist in which countries will be allowed into the United Nations Security Council (UNSC), as Russian President Vladimir Putin has argued that countries like India will be given a seat at the proverbial table.
During an annual discussion forum on Thursday, Putin praised Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and voiced his support for reforming the United Nations Security Council to include his country as a member. The UNSC previously accepted India as a provisional member, allowing it to join for two years. This membership expired in 2022.
“I believe we need to adapt international law to current needs and changing world situations. Countries with significant influence in international affairs, such as India with its 1.5 billion inhabitants and GDP growth of over 7%, deserve representation and the opportunity to contribute to solving global issues,” Putin said at the annual conference of the Valdai Debating Club in the Black Sea resort of Sochi, Russia.
He added that “India’s high-tech exports are growing exponentially, getting stronger every year under Prime Minister Modi’s leadership.”
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Russian President Vladimir Putin gestures as he speaks at the annual meeting of the Valdai Debating Club in the Black Sea resort of Sochi, Russia, Thursday, Oct. 5, 2023. (Grigory Sysoyev, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP)
India and Russia share a unique international partnership, with India buying record amounts of Russian oil.
The south Asian country has also avoided getting involved in Putin’s invasion of Ukraine, which includes abstaining from UN General Assembly votes denouncing Russia.
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India has also maintained a long history of purchasing and using Russian weapons for its military.
Russian President Vladimir Putin addresses the annual meeting of the Valdai Discussion Club in the Black Sea resort of Sochi, Russia, Thursday, Oct. 5, 2023. (Grigory Sysoyev, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP)
China, France, the Russian Federation, the United Kingdom and the United States are the only five permanent members of the UNSC, although it elects 10 non-permanent members for two-year terms.
India previously served as a member of the UNSC and has spent decades arguing for a permanent seat.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi of India welcomes President Biden for the G-20 Leaders’ Summit on September 9, 2023 in New Delhi. (Dan Kitwood/Getty Images)
Such a move has been strongly resisted by China, which has emerged as Russia’s diplomatic ally, especially as Moscow faces international sanctions over its ambitions in Ukraine.
Putin’s proposal to change international laws comes as he has also advocated lifting bans on atomic tests.
Vyacheslav Volodin, the speaker of the lower house, the State Duma, followed Putin’s warning by saying that Moscow could cancel ratification of the international nuclear test ban pact since the United States has never ratified it.
Russian President Vladimir Putin announced on Thursday, October 5, 2023, that Russia has substantially completed the development of the Burevestnik cruise missile and the Sarmat heavy intercontinental ballistic missile and will work on their production. (RU-RTR Russian TV via AP)
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“It is in our national interests,” Volodin said of withdrawing the 2000 ratification. “And it will come as a quid pro quo response to the United States, which has not yet ratified the treaty.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
