# Plain Language Summary: Resolution to Remove Russia from UN Security Council

This is a statement of Congress expressing its opinion that the United Nations should remove Russia from its permanent seat on the Security Council. To be clear, this resolution doesn't actually remove Russia—it's Congress saying what it thinks should happen, not making it happen.

Here's what you need to know: The UN Security Council is one of the most powerful bodies in the United Nations. It has five permanent members (the United States, Russia, China, France, and the United Kingdom) who can veto any major decision the UN tries to make. This permanent status has been in place since the UN was founded after World War II. The resolution is calling for the UN to change its founding charter to kick Russia off this list, which would be an enormous shift in international power.

The practical reality is that this resolution has no legal force. Congress can't actually make the UN do anything—it can only express what it wants. More importantly, removing Russia would require agreement from the UN member countries, and Russia itself would almost certainly veto any such proposal since it benefits from having this power. So while this shows Congress's strong disapproval of Russia (likely related to its actions in Ukraine), it's essentially a symbolic statement rather than something that will change how the world actually works. Most everyday Americans won't be directly affected by this resolution, though it does reflect the current tensions between the US and Russia on the world stage.

A concurrent resolution expressing the sense of Congress that the United Nations should take immediate procedural actions necessary to amend Article 23 of the Charter of the United Nations to remove the Russian Federation as a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council.

Blackburn, Marsha

This concurrent resolution condemns Russia's invasion of Ukraine and its ongoing support of proxy militias in the region. The concurrent resolution also states that these actions pose a direct threat to international peace and security and run contrary to Russia's responsibilities and obligations as a permanent member of the U.N. Security Council. The concurrent resolution urges the President to direct the U.S. representative to the United Nations to use the voice, vote, and influence of the United States to take all necessary steps to remove Russia as a permanent member of the U.N. Security Council. Finally, the concurrent resolution urges other member states to support such efforts to hold Russia accountable at the United Nations.