Russia backs India’s bid for permanent seat at UN Security Council

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has expressed support for India's bid to secure a permanent seat on the United Nations Security Council (UNSC). During a speech at the UN General Assembly in New York, Lavrov highlighted Moscow's desire for increased representation for Asia, Africa, and Latin America on the council. He reaffirmed Russia's backing for both India and Brazil as potential candidates for permanent seats.

Lavrov emphasized that any reforms to the UNSC should not grant Western powers additional seats, particularly singling out Germany and Japan for accusations of drifting toward militarism. Meanwhile, Mauritius utilized this platform to endorse India's candidacy, with their Foreign Minister Dhananjay Ramful also backing India's position in alignment with the G4 and L69 groupings advocating for council reform.

Reforming the UN Security Council would necessitate a significant alteration to the UN Charter, requiring a two-thirds vote in the General Assembly and ratification by two-thirds of all member states, including all current permanent members. Despite Russia's support, progress on this reform initiative has been limited, as other permanent members hold divergent views, with China staunchly opposing India's prospects of joining the UNSC.