New York: Russia has reiterated its support for India’s bid for a permanent seat on the United Nations Security Council, with Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov backing greater representation for countries from the Global South during his address to the 81st United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York on Saturday.
Lavrov said Russia supports expanding the representation of Asia, Africa and Latin America in the Security Council and specifically endorsed the permanent membership bids of India and Brazil.
“We are in favour of broadening the representation of Asia, Africa, and Latin America. We support Brazil’s and India’s candidatures for a permanent seat,” Lavrov said in his address.
At the same time, the Russian foreign minister argued against adding more Western countries to the Security Council’s permanent membership. He specifically referred to Germany and Japan, alleging that both countries are moving towards what he described as “militarism and revanchism.”
“UN Security Council reform cannot involve any additional seats being allocated to Western countries, especially to Germany and Japan, who are now on the path to militarism and revanchism,” Lavrov said.
India maintained its long and trusted relationship with Russia during the Ukraine war. 🇮🇳🤝🇷🇺
Now, from the UN platform, the Russian Foreign Minister is supporting India’s bid for permanent membership in the UN Security Council.
Support has been available before, but such… pic.twitter.com/4hgmW8mUEE
— Naresh Rana 🇮🇳 (@Rana009) September 27, 2026
Lavrov also stressed that any changes to the Security Council should preserve the existing powers and prerogatives of its permanent members.
Russia’s position was echoed by Mauritius, with Foreign Minister Dhananjay Ramful also expressing support for India’s permanent membership during his UNGA address.
“We support the positions of the G4 and of L69 on Council reform, and we reiterate our support for India’s candidature for a permanent seat, commensurate with its constructive role in global affairs,” Ramful said.
The United Nations Security Council currently consists of 15 members. Five countries — China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom and the United States — hold permanent seats and veto powers, while the remaining 10 members are elected for two-year terms.
Any amendment to the UN Charter to reform the Security Council requires approval by a two-thirds majority of the UN General Assembly, followed by ratification by two-thirds of UN member states. Ratification must also include all five existing permanent members.
Despite Russia’s continued backing for India’s candidature, efforts to reform the Security Council remain deadlocked. Positions among the existing permanent members differ, while China, which maintains close strategic ties with Russia, remains strongly opposed to India’s inclusion as a permanent member.