US backs India, Germany, and Japan for UNSC permanent seat
Japanese PM Fumio Kishida also called for reforms at the UN
New York: President Joe Biden on Wednesday reiterated the US commitment to India getting a permanent seat on the Security Council to ensure it remains credible.
Addressing the United Nations General Assembly, Biden said, “The United States supports increasing the number of both permanent and non-permanent representatives on the Council. This includes permanent seats for those nations we have long supported.”
“The United States is committed to this vital work,” he declared. Washington has long expressed backing for India’s quest for a permanent seat through different administrations. It also backs permanent seats for Japan and Germany. “I also believe the time has come for this institution to become more inclusive, so they can better respond to the needs of today’s world,” Biden said.
Delivering a forceful condemnation of Russia’s seven-month invasion, Biden said reports of Russian abuses against civilians and its efforts to erase Ukraine and its culture “should make your blood run cold.” He referenced President Vladimir Putin’s announcement Wednesday that he had ordered a partial mobilization of reservists, a deeply unpopular step that sparked protests in Russia.
And Putin’s new nuclear threats against Europe showed “reckless disregard” for Russia’s responsibilities as a signer of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, Biden said.
He also criticized Russia for scheduling “sham referenda” this week in territory it has forcibly seized in Ukraine. “A permanent member of the U.N. Security Council invaded its neighbor, attempted to erase a sovereign state from the map. Russia has shamelessly violated the core tenets of the U.N. charter,” he told his U.N. audience.
Biden also highlighted the consequences of the invasion on the world’s food supply, pledging $2.9 billion in global food security aid to address shortages caused by the war and the effects of climate change. He praised a U.N.-brokered effort to create a corridor for Ukrainian grain to be exported by sea and called for the agreement to be continued despite the ongoing conflict.
Earlier on Tuesday, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida expressed disappointment over the failure of the United Nations Security Council to respond to the Russian invasion of Ukraine because of Russia’s right of veto, calling for reforms that would allow the U.N. to better defend global peace and order.
The United Nations used to play a central role in maintaining world peace, but “the foundation of the international order is violently shaken right now,” Kishida said in a speech at the U.N.’s annual assembly of world leaders.
