The Centrality of the United Nations in Russian Foreign Policy

Russia's relations with and attitude towards the United Nations (UN) cannot be viewed in isolation from its greater foreign policy goals. As these goals changed and evolved throughout various periods of Soviet and Russian history, relations with the UN have reflected these changes and have adapted accordingly. One of the key components of Russia's early post-Soviet foreign policy was the desire to re-establish great power status and to reverse its post-Cold War irrelevance and decline in prestige. At the time, this could be achieved only through its status as a permanent member of an empowered Security Council. The shifting global equilibrium of the past few years – characterized by the re-emergence of a multipolar global configuration and a resurgent Russian foreign policy – suggests that Russia will no longer be relying on membership of the Security Council to assert its great power status.