Baltic leaders blast UN Security Council as powerless with Russian veto

Estonia and Lithuania’s foreign ministers told Fox News Digital that the United Nations Security Council is effectively powerless to curb Russia, which maintains a permanent seat and veto power. They say Moscow uses its veto to shield itself from accountability while escalating 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,' Estonia's Margus Tsahkna said, urging reform. Lithuania's foreign minister Kęstutis Budrys described the UN's 80th anniversary as 'without the birthday cake, without a lot of love,' and warned that 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?'

Those comments followed an emergency meeting of the United Nations Security Council over recent incursions into NATO territory. Budrys said three Russian MiG jets, equipped with missiles, flew into Estonian airspace for about 12 minutes, coming within 15 miles of the parliament building. The week prior, 19 Russian drones crossed into Polish airspace. The Security Council did not vote on a resolution to condemn the incursions because Russia would veto such a move. The Council has not passed binding resolutions on Ukraine since 2022. Dmitry Polyanskiy, Russia's First Deputy Permanent Representative to the United Nations, called reports of the incursions 'groundless accusations.'

Budrys and Tsahkna warned the incursions are part of a deliberate campaign to test the alliance's unity — and argued that without tougher action, Putin will keep testing the lines. 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. 'This is not about the frontline nations,' Budrys said. 'It’s about the whole world.' 'For Russia they have to see. They don’t believe in our plans and our protocols. They believe in what they see,' he added.

At the U.N. briefing, Russia's Dmitry Polyanskiy, the first deputy permanent representative, criticized the accusations. 'There is no proof except the Russophobic hysteria coming from Tallinn,' he said.

Looking beyond the immediate events, observers say the central obstacle remains the Security Council's veto power. The five permanent members can block action, including sanctions or military steps, making binding action on Ukraine unlikely without broad, enduring consensus. With that reality, many states have sought recourse in the U.N. General Assembly, where resolutions carry political weight but are not legally binding. The balance of power within the body, and the unwillingness of any permanent member to cede influence, means the Council has been unable to pass binding resolutions on Ukraine since 2022.

Tsahkna said he is not hopeful for near-term reform; 'I'm an optimist, but I cannot see this opportunity right now to change it.' The Baltic ministers stressed continued commitment to deterrence and to strengthening NATO's posture along the alliance's eastern flank, including enhanced air defense, expanded air-policing and more NATO troops where needed. The incident underscores a broader question: if a major aggressor can redraw borders by force without consequences, what precedent does that set for Europe and beyond?

As the region studies how to translate alliance solidarity into practical steps, observers say the Baltic states will press for more robust defense arrangements and for other international bodies to press Moscow to account for its actions. The UN's age and structure may limit accountability, but the situation remains a test of how the international community responds to aggression on NATO's doorstep.