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Russia believes the United Nations Security Council should expand its number of permanent members beyond the current five, but that the existing veto system should remain in place, the Kremlin said Tuesday, pushing back on President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's call to abolish both permanent membership and the veto.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, responding to a question from reporters about the Turkish president's proposal, said Russia wants the council reformed and its permanent membership expanded.
"At the same time, we believe that the institution of permanent members of the Security Council, as well as the right of veto, are very important elements of the entire structure of the United Nations," Peskov said, adding that Russia "remains committed to this very important element."
The Russian official stated that permanent membership should be expanded "without question," pointing to the emergence of new states and inter-state entities that he said should have representation on the council.
"Many states, or perhaps inter-state formations, have emerged that should certainly have their voice on the Security Council," Peskov told reporters.
He said Russia believes the council "should undoubtedly be reformed," without endorsing Erdogan's specific proposal to eliminate permanent seats altogether.
President Erdogan had called for comprehensive reform of the Security Council, including eliminating veto power, in an article for Bloomberg titled "The Quest for Global Justice in a Changing World."
"It is essential to turn the need for reform into a concrete roadmap," he wrote, noting, "At the center of this roadmap should be the abolition of the veto privilege."
The Turkish president proposed a Security Council composed entirely of members elected by the General Assembly for fixed terms, with countries seeking additional terms required to win renewed majority support, and argued that simply adding new permanent members would not resolve the underlying concentration of power.
"Representation and accountability of the Security Council before the General Assembly should be enhanced," Erdogan said, reiterating his longstanding slogan that "the world is bigger than five", a reference to the council's five veto-wielding permanent members: the U.S., U.K., France, Russia and China.
Separately, Peskov confirmed that Türkiye has raised a proposal with Moscow aimed at ending Russian and Ukrainian strikes on ships in the Black Sea, saying the matter was discussed during recent contacts between President Vladimir Putin and Erdogan in Bishkek and has since featured in related diplomatic correspondence.
"The question was indeed raised by our Turkish partners during the recent contacts between President Putin and President Erdogan in Bishkek, and has since featured in the relevant diplomatic correspondence," Peskov told reporters, confirming Ankara had put forward the initiative to both Moscow and Kyiv regarding the safety of Black Sea shipping.
Peskov separately said Russia is ensuring alternative routes for transporting Russian grain that bypass the Black Sea, in accordance with instructions from Putin.
"As for Russian grain, alternative transportation routes to alternative destinations are being ensured on the president's instructions," he said.
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