Eighty Years On, Can the UN Meet Its Mission?

"Russia's February 2022 invasion of Ukraine, a sovereign nation with 1994 security assurances from Russia, has killed or maimed tens of thousands of combatants and civilians. Efforts by President Donald Trump to end this war have failed, with an emboldened Vladimir Putin escalating hostilities in Ukraine, while the credibility of NATO, flying drones into Poland and Romania and recently violating Estonia's airspace."

"This is the Putin who lamented the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991 and vowed to recreate the Russian Empire. And that's what he's doing. Georgia and Crimea in 2008 and 2014 was a prelude to his invasion of Ukraine in 2022. The Baltic states - Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania - are next, on Putin's quest to recreate the Russian Empire."

"continued refusal to permit UN nuclear inspections and refusal to resume nuclear talks with the U.S. resulted in the reimposition - on September 28 - of sanctions lifted in 2015. So, given that Iran has not changed its attitude and in fact has become more defiant, "snap back" sanctions ban nuclear enrichment, establish an arms embargo and ban tests and transfers of ballistic missiles."

The 80th ordinary session of the United Nations ended on September 8, 2026. The UN faces immediate opportunities to address multiple conflicts and prioritize peace, development and human rights. The wars in Ukraine and Gaza must stop. Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine has caused extensive casualties and destabilized regional security, with NATO credibility challenged and concerns about further Russian aggression toward the Baltic states. The UN should pursue sanctions and demand a halt to the invasion and negotiations with Kyiv. Iran's continued refusal to permit inspections and resume nuclear talks prompted the reimposition of sanctions and calls for snap-back measures including an arms embargo and missile bans.

Read at The Cipher Brief