India, as a founding member of the UN and a global heavyweight, presents an unassailable argument for permanent membership at UNSC. Nobody can ignore India’s contributions, not only as the world’s largest democracy and a burgeoning economic powerhouse but also as a provider of global public goods, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic. The growing chorus of international support for India’s bid, including from countries that traditionally held reservations, underscores the timeliness of this endeavour. With India’s rich history of constructive global engagement and its status as the largest troop contributor to UN peacekeeping missions, India’s quest for a permanent UNSC seat is a matter of when, not if, and essential for the organisation’s legitimacy and efficacy in addressing contemporary global challenges. The United Nations came into existence in the midst of a geopolitically charged environment in the immediate aftermath of World War II. One of the bodies formed within the ambit of the UN – the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) – tasked with the maintenance of world peace and checking any aggression by any nation in the world, became the most powerful multilateral body in the world. At the time of its formation, the UNSC membership represented the geopolitical realities of the time. It became a club of major world powers, with finally five members called the P-5, who retained the permanent membership with veto powers, comprising – the United States of America, the United Kingdom, France, Russia and China. However, today the geopolitical realities have changed. It is no longer the world of 1945 dominated by few powers. The 21st century is witnessing a multipolar world with many countries emerging as powers to reckon with in their own right. Amongst them the one making the fastest strides is India. There are numerous reasons that lay credence to India’s claim for a permanent seat at the UNSC. As a founding member of the UN, India has consistently supported the UN in its aims and objectives. Today, India is the largest democracy in the world and with nearly 1.4 billion population, it is the most populous country in the world. India represents more than one-sixth of humanity in the world. An entity like the UNSC which was formed to work for peace and stability in the world so that humans can prosper is doing grave injustice by ignoring the largest representative of the most important stakeholder – the people of the world. More importantly, in doing so the UNSC itself is facing the crises of legitimacy and credibility. India’s global stature has risen in the past few decades owing to its economic prowess. Today, India has become the fifth largest economy in the world with a GDP of about USD 3 trillion. Moreover, by 2027 India is expected to become the third largest economy in the world, replacing Germany and Japan. As per IMF Deputy Managing Director Antoinette Sayeh, India seems to be the ‘bright spot’ in the world economy, registering healthy economic growth rates in a world afflicted by economic slowdowns and stagflation risks. India thus is playing a significant role in supporting the global economy to get back on its feet. On the economic front, India has come a long way from contributing merely 4 per cent to the global GDP at the time of its independence to contributing 15 per cent of the global GDP today. The evolution of India marks its rise as a leading power in the world. One of the arguments that support India’s candidature as a permanent member of the UNSC is the fact that India, in alignment with the vision of ‘Vasudhaiv Kutumbakam’ – the world is one family, has emerged as the provider of public good to the world. During the COVID-19 pandemic, when the major powers were engaged in vaccine nationalism, India showcased its selflessness through the Vaccine Maitri initiative under which India distributed over 160 million doses of vaccines, medical kits, and other essential items including food grains to over 150 countries, especially the developing and least developed countries. Moreover, India not only successfully evacuated its own nationals but also citizens from over 123 countries during the global lockdown under the Vande Bharat Mission, an unprecedented repatriation program. India’s rise in global stature is owed to its multidimensional prowess. India became the fourth country to soft-land on the moon and the first one to land on the South Pole of the moon under the Chandrayaan-3 Mission. Recently India also sent its first sun mission – Aditya L1 which has been successful in its mission objectives so far. India is also gearing up for its manned mission to space with Gaganyaan. Not just in the space sector, but India is making long strides in various other fields. Take for instance the digital public infrastructure. At a time when the world is increasingly moving towards digital, India already makes 46 per cent share of the total digital transactions in the world. India’s UPI, RuPay card, and JAM trinity model, among others, have placed India as the leader in this segment. If these attributes made India’s case stronger, India’s successful G20 presidency took it a notch above. India championed the voice of the Global South within the G20, shifting the G20 towards equity and inclusivity rather than being focused on the G7 countries and their interests. A major breakthrough came in the form of the inclusion of the African Union as the latest member of the G20 under India’s presidency. With the African Union, representing 55 African countries, as the new member, the G20 is set to become more representative in its membership. It is also to be India’s credit to be able to come up with the joint communique given the charged geopolitical atmosphere owing to the Russia-Ukraine war. What looked seemingly very difficult till now, as other multilateral fora in the past year could not release a joint communique due to the absence of consensus, India succeeded in achieving 100 percent consensus. The New Delhi Declaration took up various issues affecting the world, especially the developing and the least developed countries, including food security and climate change. India also managed to reach a consensus on a debt relief framework for Ethiopia, Ghana, and Zambia that will help these countries tide over the economic crisis facing them. Further, the announcement of the India-Middle East- Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC), connecting South Asia, the Middle East through to Europe and the USA added further weight to India’s increasing heft in the evolving global order. There is now unequivocal support for India’s candidature for the permanent seat at the UNSC. Even countries which have not traditionally supported India’s candidature, such as Turkiye, have now joined this chorus. Turkiye’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan during the New Delhi G20 Summit lent his support to India as a permanent member of the UNSC, stating that the world is larger than the five countries (implying P-5) while expressing his view that India deserves to be a permanent member. During the G20 Summit, US President Joe Biden also reaffirmed his support for India’s permanent membership of the UNSC. He went on to welcome India’s candidature as the non-permanent member of the UNSC for the ninth time in 2028-29. Even UN General Secretary Antonio Guterres echoed similar sentiments making a pitch for UNSC reforms on an immediate basis. India’s successful G20 Summit certainly provided much weight to India’s legitimate right to be a UNSC permanent member, however, support for its claims has been there for quite some time now. A few months back French Ambassador at the UN Nicolas De Riviere favoured reforms in the UNSC while supporting India’s bid for permanent membership while speaking at the UNSC open debate, reiterating the position of French President Emmanuel Macron regarding India’s candidature. UK Foreign Secretary James Cleverly also gave a call for a more representative UNSC while affirming the UK’s support for India’s candidature. Calling India the leader in economic growth with vast diplomatic experience, authority and reputation in its region, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov backed India as a permanent member of the UNSC. The other G-4 countries viz. Germany, Japan, and Brazil have already lent support to India and to each other’s candidature. All this is nothing but a signal of “an idea whose time has come”. The only elephant in the room is China and its trivial objections on frivolous pretexts. Fearing India’s rise as a challenger to its own geopolitical clout in the region, China is the only P-5 country that has been evading giving support to India’s candidature. India has always been a very constructive and responsible actor in the international realm, contributing immensely to various UN Missions, especially in the areas of development, human rights, climate change, and peacekeeping. In fact, India has contributed over 200,000 peacekeepers to 49 of the 71 UN peacekeeping missions since 1948, making India the largest troop contributor to the UN Missions. India’s growing power, its value system, and its positive contribution to world peace and prosperity have made India’s case for permanent membership in the UNSC very strong. Source: asianlite.com

Emmanuel Bonne, who is the diplomatic advisor to French President Macron, praised the excellent cooperation with India at the United Nations Security Council and reiterated the country's support to India for a permanent seat at the United Nations Security Council (UNSC).   While on his visit to India on Thursday for the 36th session of the Indo-French Strategic Dialogue, Emmanuel Bonne, a G7 and G20 Sherpa to the President of France held talks on wide-ranging issues with his counterpart National Security Advisor Ajit Doval during the strategic dialogue, the Government of France said in an official statement.   All facets of the Indo-French strategic partnership were discussed, including counterterrorism collaboration, cyber security, space policy, significant global and regional challenges including the conflict in Ukraine, and cooperation in the Indo-Pacific.   As the first bilateral visit of the year, the dialogue between India and France aimed to pave the way for an ambitious expansion of the Indo-French strategic partnership as it marks its 25th anniversary this year.   During his visit, Bonne also called on PM Narendra Modi and met with EAM S Jaishankar and G20 Sherpa Amitabh Kant. He stressed France's full support for India's G20 presidency and conveyed President Macron's message that Indo-French cooperation would be key to tackling global challenges in 2023, according to the official statement.   France and India established a strategic partnership in 1998, which has since grown continuously in scope and depth, based on exceptional mutual trust, shared democratic values, and a joint vision for a multipolar, rules-based world order. 

On Wednesday the UK, France and UAE extended support for India's permanent membership at the United Nations Security Council (UNSC).   Dame Barbara Woodward, the UK Permanent Representative to the United Nations said, "The Security Council must as others have said become more representative of the world today and the UK has long called for its expansion in both the permanent and non-permanent categories, as the UK Foreign Secretary publicly reiterated this week - we support new permanent seats for Brazil, Germany, India and Japan." Incidentally, India is holding the presidency of the United Nations Security Council for the month of December 2022.   Ambassador Nicolas de Riviere, Permanent Representative of France to the UN said, "We support an expansion of the Security Council to take into account the emergence of new powers that have the world and the ability to shoulder the responsibility of a permanent presence on Security Council. France thus supports the candidacies of Germany, Brazil, India and Japan as permanent members." Both countries supported India's bid for permanent membership in the reformed Security Council.   Meanwhile, the United Arab Emirates also reiterated its endorsement of India's bid for permanent membership of a reformed security council. UAE minister Noura Bint Mohammed Al Kaabi at UNSC Open Debate on 'Maintenance of International Peace & Security: New Orientation for Reformed Multilateralism' said, "Congratulate you and Indian mission at very successful 8th term on the Security Council. Your voice at this chamber is necessary and UAE reiterates its endorsement of India's bid for permanent membership of the reformed UNSC. The UN Security Council is the premier global body for maintaining International peace and security. The Security Council, the United Nations' principal crisis-management body, is empowered to impose binding obligations on the 193 UN member states to maintain peace. The Security Council, the United Nations' principal crisis-management body, is empowered to impose binding obligations on the member states to maintain peace. The council's five permanent and ten elected members meet regularly to assess threats to international security, including civil wars, natural disasters, arms proliferation, and terrorism. Structurally, the council remains largely unchanged since its founding in 1946, stirring debate among members about the need for reforms. The UN Security Council is composed of 15 members, including five permanent member states - China, France, Russian Federation, the United States, and the United Kingdom - and 10 non-permanent member states, which are elected by the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) Ten non-permanent members are elected to the UNSC every year for a two-year term The 10 non-permanent seats are distributed among the regions of the world: five seats for African and Asian countries (three are for Africa and two for Asia), one for Eastern European countries, two for Latin American and Caribbean countries, and the remaining two for Western European and other countries. The Africa and Asia Pacific group takes turns every two years to put up an Arab candidate. There is a need reform in UNSC, due to the undemocratic nature of UNSC, barring two regions (North America and Europe), other regions are either underrepresented (like Asia) or not represented at all (Africa, Latin America and the Small Island developing states). Moreover, there is a misuse of veto power. The veto power is used by P-5 countries to serve the strategic interest of themselves and their allies. Meanwhile, India is a founding member of the UN. India, till now has been elected for eight terms for a two-year non-permanent member seat. Most significantly, India has almost twice the number of peacekeepers deployed on the ground than by P5 countries. India being the largest democracy and second-most populous country (soon to become most populous) in the world, are the primary reasons for it to be granted permanent membership in UNSC. Source: ANI

At an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council, the US led condemnation of North Korea's recent missile tests. However, the council did not impose new sanctions or even give a formal statement. The United States and its allies strongly condemned North Korea's recent test of a suspected intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) during an emergency meeting of the United Nations Security Council on Monday. However, the Security Council did not take any action in response to North Korea's recent moves due to opposition from Russia and China. On Sunday, North Korea's foreign minister called UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres a "puppet" of the US for joining in on condemning missile tests.  "The DPRK (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) is acting with impunity in the face of the Security Council's inaction," read a joint statement delivered by US ambassador to the UN, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, and signed by 14 countries. Earlier in the meeting, the US circulated a proposed presidential statement — a step below a legally binding resolution —  condemning the missile launches and calling for North Korea to abide by current UN sanctions in place banning Pyongyang from carrying out ballistic missile and nuclear tests. North Korea has carried out an unprecedented number of missile tests this year, amid fears it is preparing to test a nuclear weapon for the first time since 2016. Russia, China block US position on North Korea However, such statements require signatures from all 15 Security Council members to be adopted.  Russia's deputy UN Ambassador, Anna Evstigneeva, said the reason for North Korea's growing aggression is "Washington's desire to force Pyongyang into unilateral disarmament by implementing sanctions and exerting force." She cited recent US military drills with South Korea that included practice strikes on North Korean missile and defense systems, as having antagonized Pyongyang. The US has maintained that all military drills with South Korea and Japan are defensive in nature. Discouraging any action which could worsen the situation, Evstigneeva called for "inter-Korean dialogue" and "multilateral negotiations". China's UN ambassador, Zhang Jun, said the UN had to meet North Korea halfway to prevent the situation from getting "out of control."  He urged the US to show "initiative, put up realistic proposals, respond positively to North Korea's concerns stop military exercises and ease sanctions." Thomas-Greenfield said the US is "prepared to meet without preconditions," and called on North Korea to "engage in serious and sustained diplomacy.'' "But the DPRK continues to not respond and instead chooses to continue this reckless behavior. The council must instead respond," she added.

India raised concern on Monday at the Security Council about the suspension of the UN-brokered Black Sea Grain initiative, saying that this move is likely to further exacerbate the food security, fuel, and fertilizer supply challenges faced by the world. Indian diplomat R Madhu Sudan said the Black Sea Grain deal had provided a glimmer of hope for peace in Ukraine and helped contribute to lowering the prices of wheat and other commodities. "The initiative had resulted in export of more than nine million tonnes of grains and other food products out of Ukraine. We believe the exports had contributed to lowering prices of wheat and other commodities, evident from the drop in the FAO Food Price Index," said Madhu Sudan, Counsellor at the Permanent Mission of India to the UN, at the UNSC briefing debate on Ukraine. "The suspension of the Black Sea Grain initiative is expected to further exacerbate the food security, fuel and fertilizer supply challenges faced by the world, particularly the Global South," he added. The UN-brokered Black Sea Grain Initiative was signed during a ceremony in Istanbul in July. Under the deal, ships transporting grain from three Ukrainian ports travel along an agreed corridor to markets worldwide. This UNSC debate comes after Russia requested the meeting following its decision to suspend participation in the Black Sea Grain Initiative "for an unspecified period of time", announced this past weekend, in response to alleged Ukrainian attacks against its ships. Counsellor Madhu Sudan said India supports the engagement of the Secretary-General with the parties on renewal and full implementation of the initiative, including facilitating of exports of food and fertilizer from Ukraine and Russia. "The Black Sea Grain initiative and its successful implementation over the last four months is consistent with India's long-standing position that diplomacy and dialogue is the only solution to end this ongoing conflict that has resulted in serious consequences for the region and beyond," he said while adding that India continues to support all efforts, including that of the Secretary-General, to end the conflict. On Monday, UN officials told the Security Council the landmark agreement to export grain and related foodstuffs from Ukraine must be kept alive amid the ongoing war and the global cost of living crisis. "Ukraine's grain exports are not a food aid operation. They do operate as a huge lever on price, with positive ripple effects throughout the world. New security allegations are a cause of grave concern to the Secretary-General and many Member States are worried now that the deal is in trouble," said UN's Emergency Relief Coordinator, Martin Griffiths. According to UN News, Ukraine and Russia account for roughly 30 per cent of the world's exported wheat and barley, one-fifth of its maize, and over half of its sunflower oil. Russia is also the world's largest exporter of fertilizers, accounting for 15 per cent of global exports.  Source: ANI

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov today backed India for becoming a permanent member of the UN Security Council. While addressing the 77th United Nations General Assembly, Mr Lavrov said, "We see prospective of making Security Council more democratic via representation of countries from Africa, Asia & Latin America. India and Brazil, in particular, are key international actors and should be counted for permanent membership in the council."   While addressing the Assembly, Lavrov accused Western countries of "throwing a fit" over the referendum that is being conducted in Russian-controlled areas of Ukraine on becoming a part of their federation.   The Russian Foreign Minister said the crises surrounding the war were growing, and the international situation was rapidly deteriorating, but instead of having an honest dialogue and searching for a compromise, the West was "undermining confidence in international institutions" and encouraging negative tendencies within the United Nations as well, according to UN News.   He said the United States was trying to turn the whole world into its "backyard", and together with its partners, punishing dissenters from its world view, through what he called "illegal unilateral sanctions" which violate the UN Charter, and hurt poor citizens in poorer countries, targeting their medicines, vaccines and food imports.   Earlier, India with 31 other countries in a joint statement on reforms stated that an expansion of the Security Council in both permanent and non-permanent categories, as well as reform in its working methods, is indispensable to making this body more representative, legitimate and effective, delegations reiterated.   The signatories of the joint statement stated that they reaffirm that adapting the United Nations to contemporary world realities necessarily requires urgent and comprehensive reform of the Security Council, the principal organ for international peace and security.   According to the statement, the heads of delegations were convinced of the need to restore faith in effective multilateralism, "we stand united, as a group of pro-reform like-minded States, determined to work towards a more inclusive, responsive and participatory international governance architecture," the statement reads.   "We further recognize that lack of progress in Security Council reform has serious implications, not only for the continued relevance of global governance institutions but also for global peace and security and delivering on the purposes, principles and promises of the United Nations Charter," it added.   The head of delegations recognised that a reformed Security Council must better reflect the contemporary United Nations membership, including through enhanced representation of Small Island Developing States (SIDS), which comprise approximately 20 per cent of the United Nations' membership.   Source: NDTV

Highlighting the need to address the issues of access and distribution of COVID-19 vaccines across the world, India on Monday (local time) expressed concern regarding the low vaccination levels of the population in countries facing conflict situations. Speaking at the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) briefing on 'delivery of COVID vaccines in areas of armed conflict - Implementation of UNSC Resolutions 2532 and 2565', India's Deputy Permanent Representative to the UN, R Ravindra said, "Much of the developing world is yet to be vaccinated. The vaccination levels of the population in countries facing conflict situations are even lower." "While we have made significant progress in developing newer vaccines against COVID-19 as well as in their production, the issues of vaccine equity, access, distribution, and administration remain to be addressed," he added. Ravindra stressed the need to find ways to ensure last-mile vaccine delivery in areas affected by conflict and post-conflict situations, which are not served adequately by public health infrastructure. He also highlighted the need to ensure that any slackening of other vaccinations is reversed to ensure a sustainable health recovery from the pandemic. Highlighting India's role in facilitating access to vaccines, he said, "In line with our vision of 'One Earth, One Health', India has been instrumental in saving innumerable lives by providing timely and necessary medicines and vaccines to many countries." "In order to convert "vaccines into vaccination", countries need robust capabilities in critical sectors including Information Technology tools; cold chain expansion; and training and capacity building of healthcare workers for vaccine administration. India would be happy to partner with other countries to assist in these important areas," he added. Ravindra also condemned the terrorists taking advantage of the pandemic saying, "While the Security Council has called for "COVID" pause in hostilities, terrorists and other non-state actors have only taken advantage of the pandemic by increasing their nefarious activities." "For continued supplies of vaccines, we need to ramp up our manufacturing capacities, both qualitatively and quantitatively, and keep the global supply chain for raw materials open and uninterrupted," he added. He further informed the Security Council that India has been strongly advocating for the principle of equity in the World Health Organization and has also proposed, along with South Africa, a Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) waiver at the World Trade Organization (WTO) for COVID vaccines, diagnostics, and medicines. "India stands ready to work with the global community to build adequately funded robust health systems, strengthen preparedness, and ensure equitable access to vaccines," he stated.   Source: ANI  

Indian Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla said that India will continue supporting the League of Arab States in combating terrorism and promoting plurality. The statement comes in the backdrop of increasing terrorism in different Gulf countries. Syria is one of the countries where the terrorism incident has increased in the past few years. Shringla was speaking at the United Nations Security Council meeting on the Cooperation between the UN and regional organisations (League of Arab States) on Wednesday. While addressing the UNSC meeting, Shringla stated, "For, over millennia, the Arab world has been a cradle of human civilization. Given its strategic location, developments in the Arab world have influenced our shared history and they continue to have a profound impact globally. The challenges confronted by the region today and how we address them will have a critical bearing on international peace and security." Shringla stated the historical relation that India and the Arab region share. He said, "Trade between India and Arab region through the Indian Ocean had flourished for several centuries even before the advent of modern commerce. The Indian rupee was legal tender in parts of the Arab world not very long ago." He also said, "Today, countries from the Arab world are host to more than 9 million Indians and India's wide-ranging partnership with these countries encompasses every aspect of human endeavour- from agriculture, trade, commerce and education to clean energy, counter-terrorism and new technologies”. During speech, Shringla mentioned the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) that India and the League of Arab States signed two decades ago for institutionalizing a regular dialogue process to forge a partnership for the future. He also said that this led to the creation of the India-League of Arab States Forum, during which progressive cooperation in several fields like energy, environmental protection, investment, food security, science and technology and human resource development was agreed upon. Shringla said that several initiatives were taken to deepen the engagement with the League of Arab States and these initiatives have also been conceptualized including the Energy Symposium, Media Symposium and the first edition of the Arab India Energy Forum which was successfully convened a few months ago. "The League of Arab States has contributed positively to security and stability in the region. Its Member States are significant troop and police contributors to UN peacekeeping forces. The Arab States are among the largest donors of humanitarian assistance to countries facing armed conflict in the region. The League has played an important role in the areas of mediation, conflict prevention and resolution in the region," Shringla said. He further stated, "Today's meeting provides us with a valuable opportunity to take a closer look at the cooperation between the United Nations and the League of Arab States. We underline that the League of Arab States can further contribute to our joint endeavour for peace, for the sake of the people of the region, in general, and women and minorities, in particular. We take note of the positive trajectory of the cooperation, including through the UN Liaison Office in Cairo and the practice of annual briefings by the Secretary-General to this Council." Shringla submitted four suggestions and said, "First, there must be greater policy synergy between the two organizations. Regular and frequent consultations with the League of the Arab States and its members on peace initiatives in the region would contribute towards achieving common solutions and meaningful outcomes. Second, efforts must be made to achieve comprehensive coordination at the field level, especially through regular coordination between UN's Special Envoys and Special Representatives and the League of Arab States." He further added, "Third, engagement with the League and its members in post-conflict peacebuilding through reconstruction and economic development is equally important; and Fourth, ensuring the stability of the countries concerned and the region, and the welfare of the people, especially women and minorities, should be at the forefront of all such efforts." Shringla stated that the cooperation between the UN and the League of Arab States is of critical importance when it comes to the Middle East peace process. He further stated that both the organisations need to take the concerted effort to support the reactivation of the Middle East peace process in line with the two-State solution, based on the internationally agreed framework and previous agreements between the parties. Shringla said that India welcomed the agreements for the normalisation of relations between countries in the region, which will contribute to greater peace and stability in the region. "Let me conclude by expressing India's steadfast support for a closer, meaningful and sustained cooperation between the United Nations and the League of Arab States for the benefit of the region. India will continue to partner with the Arab countries in their efforts to achieve regional peace, stability and prosperity and will continue to work with the League of Arab States in combating terrorism and in promoting tolerance and pluralism," Shringla said. Source: ANI

Indian Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla on Thursday said India will wait to see the final shape of the UN Security Council resolution on the Ukraine situation before taking a position. "The possibility of UNSC resolution that would be tabled on the evolving situation, we have seen a draft resolution. I am told that would undergo considerable changes. We will wait to see the shape that this resolution takes before we can pronounce ourselves in the position that we will take on this issue," Shringla said at a media briefing here in response to a media query. He said it is an evolving situation both on the ground and in the United Nations. "We are at the cutting edge of many of the issues, many of the areas where these issues will be discussed and will be considered by the international community. And we will certainly play our due role in that regard," he said. The United States is preparing a resolution against Moscow at the United Nations following the Russian military action in Ukraine. Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday recognized Ukraine's breakaway regions - Donetsk and Luhansk - as independent entities escalating the ongoing tensions between the two countries. Ukraine gained independence in 1991 after the disintegration of the Soviet Union. Putin said on Thursday morning that special military operations are being launched "to protect" the people in the Donbas region. He also warned other countries that any attempt to interfere with the Russian action would lead to "consequences". Leaders from a number of countries including the UK, the US, Canada, and the European Union have condemned Russia's military operations in the Donbas region. Source: ANI

The United States has requested an emergency meeting on Thursday of the UN Security Council on North Korea, which launched its most powerful missile since 2017 last weekend, diplomatic sources said Tuesday.    The meeting is expected to be held behind closed doors. It is up to Russia, the president of the Security Council for the month of February, to confirm the timing.    "We really do hope that the Council will be able to speak with one voice" with a declaration, a diplomat speaking on the condition of anonymity said.    North Korea confirmed on Monday it had fired a Hwasong-12 "ground-to-ground intermediate- and long-range ballistic missile," in its first test since 2017 of a weapon that powerful.    Earlier Tuesday, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres denounced the launch as "a clear violation of Security Council resolutions."    "At least what we should insist upon is that the Council would urge DPRK to respect UN Security Council resolutions," the anonymous diplomat added, referring to the country's official name of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.    "If the Council is not even able to call for respect of its own decisions, we have a problem."    North Korea is "making steady progress on ballistic, improving the range, the precisions and the lethality of its missiles," he said.    The country has both nuclear and ballistic missile technologies, the diplomat said.    "At some stage if you mix the two technologies, which they don't seem to have been able to manage until now...the threat will be absolutely intolerable," he said.    US envoy to North Korea Sung Kim has discussed the latest launch with South Korean and Japanese authorities in recent days, State Department spokesman Ned Price said in a statement.    "Special Representative Kim condemned the DPRK's ballistic missile launches as violations of UN Security Council resolutions and destabilizing to the region," Price said, underscoring the US's "ironclad commitment" to help defend allies Japan and South Korea and to pursue diplomatic solutions with North Korea.    The test on Sunday was North Korea's seventh in January -- the most ever carried out by the country in a calendar month, raising fears Pyongyang could renew nuclear and intercontinental missile tests.    The test broke a 2018 moratorium by Pyongyang.    In 2017, the UN Security Council on three occasions decided unanimously to impose new heavy economic sanctions on Pyongyang for its nuclear and missile tests.    The sanctions, the Council's latest show of unity over North Korea, target the country's oil imports as well as its coal, iron, textile or fishing exports. Source: AFP/BSS AH