UN reform has become a central part of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s call for a more representative international system, with Moscow arguing that countries in Asia, Africa, Latin America and the Middle East should have a greater role in the United Nations.
Speaking on October 1 at the plenary session of the 23rd annual meeting of the Valdai Discussion Club, Putin said the UN’s current structure does not adequately reflect the changing balance of influence in the world. The four-day meeting, held from September 28 to October 1 under the theme “Responsibility for the Future: Limits of the Possible, or Limitless Possibilities?”, brought together participants from 40 countries.
Putin argued that a limited group of Western countries has an influence within the UN that he considers disproportionate to their share of the world’s population. He said Russia supports reform that would make the organisation more reflective of the diversity of the international community.
“A narrow grouping of Western countries wields a disproportionately large influence,” Putin said, according to the transcript of his Valdai address. He described these countries as a global minority seeking to retain what he characterised as administrative control over international affairs.
His comments come as debates over the future structure of global institutions continue to focus on whether the post-Second World War international system adequately represents countries whose economic and political influence has grown significantly in recent decades.
Putin said the issue should not be reduced to adding more countries to the UN Security Council or changing geographical representation within the organisation. In his view, reform should also involve reconsidering the priorities and substance of the UN’s work.
“Russia supports the idea of a fair reform of the UN, but it is impossible now without an internal consensus,” Putin said. He added that the organisation’s structure should reflect the diversity of the world and that Asia, Africa, Latin America and the Middle East should play a more substantial role.
The question of Security Council reform has long been politically sensitive. Any changes to the council’s permanent membership or voting arrangements would require agreement among UN member states, including the existing permanent members. Putin acknowledged that reaching the necessary internal consensus would be difficult under current geopolitical conditions.
The Russian president’s argument also fits into a broader position he has repeatedly presented about the emergence of a more multipolar international order. At this year’s Valdai meeting, he said the world was undergoing major changes across politics, technology, economics, demographics and other areas, creating pressure for international institutions to adapt.
The Valdai meeting itself reflected part of that changing international landscape. Organisers said the 2026 gathering included participants from countries including Algeria, Brazil, China, Egypt, Ethiopia, India, Indonesia, Iran, Japan, Malaysia, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Türkiye, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom and the United States.
Putin’s remarks therefore place the UN within a wider debate over who should have greater influence in setting international priorities. For Moscow, giving developing regions a stronger institutional voice is part of creating a global system that better reflects current political and economic realities.
The proposal, however, remains a political position rather than an agreed programme for changing the UN. Any major restructuring would depend on negotiations among the organisation’s member states and, for changes involving the Security Council, agreement under the UN’s established procedures.
For countries across Africa and Asia, the debate is significant because greater representation in global institutions has been a longstanding issue in discussions about international governance. Putin’s intervention adds Russia’s support to that argument, while also placing the issue within Moscow’s broader call for a less Western-centred international system.
