Baltic leaders rip UN Security Council as powerless while Russia holds veto seat

Baltic foreign ministers tore into the United Nations in interviews with Fox News Digital this week, blasting the Security Council as powerless and “out of capabilities to react” because Russia — the nation waging Europe’s bloodiest war in decades — still holds a permanent seat and veto power.

Estonia’s top diplomat, Margus Tsahkna, said Moscow is using its position at the U.N. to shield itself from accountability while escalating its aggression against NATO allies.

“The permanent member of the Security Council is actually waging the most aggressive aggression in history after the Second World War in Europe,” he told Fox News, adding that reform is long overdue.

Lithuania’s foreign minister, Kęstutis Budrys, echoed the criticism, describing the U.N.’s 80th anniversary as “without the birthday cake, without a lot of love” because the body’s credibility is crumbling. “If countries come here and don’t believe it can deliver… what function is it and what are we doing here?” he said.

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The conversations came after an emergency meeting of the U.N. Security Council on the recent incursions into NATO territory. Last week three Russian MiG jets “equipped with missiles,” according to Budrys, flew into Estonian territory for 12 minutes, coming within 15 miles of the parliament building. 

The week before, 19 Russian drones had traipsed into Polish airspace. 

The Security Council, which also includes the U.S., U.K., France and China as permanent members and 10 rotating non-permanent members, did not vote on a resolution to condemn the incursions because Russia would automatically veto such a move. 

For that reason, the council has been unable to pass binding resolutions on Ukraine since 2022.

Tsahkna said he was not hopeful the Security Council would ever change. 

“I’m an optimist, but I cannot see this opportunity right now to change it.”

The Security Council has broad powers to investigate disputes, hold discussions, issue statements or recommendations, impose sanctions, and even authorize military action when necessary.

However, these tools only function when the five permanent members are in agreement, or at least when none of them uses their veto. This structure creates a major limitation when one of those permanent members is itself the party accused of aggression.

While the Security Council remains paralyzed, nations have turned to the U.N. General Assembly, where resolutions carry political weight but are not legally binding. 

Russia called reports of the incursions “groundless accusations.” 

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“There is no proof except the Russophobic hysteria coming from Tallinn,” said Dmitry Polyansky, Russia’s first deputy permanent representative to the U.N., referring to Estonia’s capital in the Security Council meeting. 

Both Budrys and Tsahkna warned that Russia’s drone and jet incursions into NATO territory are part of a deliberate campaign to test the alliance’s unity — and argued that without tough action, Putin will keep pushing the limits. Lithuania called for turning Baltic air policing into true air defense with stronger rules of engagement, while Estonia pressed for additional NATO troops and capabilities.

The ministers argued that if Russia can change borders by force without consequence in Europe, it will set a precedent elsewhere. 

“This is not about the frontline nations,” Budrys said. “It’s about the whole world.”

They said that while the solidarity demonstrated among allies at the U.N. is great, Russia fears action, not words. 

“For Russia they have to see. They don’t believe in our plans and our protocols. They believe in what they see,” said Budrys.