Finland's president wants end of single state veto at UN Security Council

By Anne Kauranen

HELSINKI (Reuters) - Finland's President Alexander Stubb has called for expansion of the U.N. Security Council, abolition of its single state veto power, and suspension of any member engaging in an "illegal war" such as Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Stubb, who leads the Nordic nation's foreign policy, said he would add his voice to reform calls at next week's U.N. General Assembly in New York which is to discuss composition of the global body's Security Council.

Consisting of five permanent and 10 rotating member states, the council's brief is to keep global peace, but geopolitical rivalries have deadlocked it on issues from Ukraine to Gaza.

Stubb said in an interview on Tuesday he would propose the number of permanent members be expanded from five to 10, with one more from Latin America, two from Africa and two from Asia.

"No single state should have veto power in the U.N. Security Council," he told Reuters.

The U.S., one of five veto-wielding nations with Russia, China, France and Britain, has also backed two permanent seats for Africa.

Stubb said any member engaging an illegal war, "such as Russia is in right now in Ukraine", should be kicked off.

Moscow has justified its invasion of Ukraine by saying it is creating a buffer against Western aggression and taking territory that is historically Russia's.

BACKING UKRAINE

Stubb said he knew his Security Council proposals were "beyond what is usually said from small member states", but added that the big nations would otherwise not propose weakening their own influence.

"So they talk the talk, but don't walk the walk," he said, adding he hoped others would help take the plan forward by the U.N.'s 80th birthday next year.

Any changes to Security Council membership need approval by two thirds of the General Assembly, including the five veto powers.

"My basic message is that if countries from the global South, from Latin America, from Africa, from Asia, do not get agency in the system, they will turn their backs against the United Nations. And that we do not want," he said.

The former Finnish prime minister and European parliamentarian, who took office in March as president, urged support for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, who is to address the U.N. assembly next week about his "victory plan".

"He has informed us that 90% is already there and the 10% that he will present is what will be needed for him to win this war," Stubb said.

He urged Western nations to lift restrictions on use of donated arms that leave Ukraine "with one hand tied behind its back".

"We need to let that hand go and allow Ukraine to do what Russia is doing to it," he said.

Stubb did not give credence to Russian President Vladimir Putin's threats of nuclear escalation. "Last time we saw Putin using aggressive language on nuclear weapons, the global South and China basically told Putin to stop," he said.

(Reporting by Anne Kauranen; Editing by Andrew Cawthorne)