The US is acting with impunity and believes its power matters more than international law, the head of the UN has told the BBC. Speaking to BBC Radio 4's Today programme, António Guterres said Washington's 'clear conviction' was that multilateral solutions were irrelevant. What mattered, he continued, was the 'exercise of the power and influence of the United States and sometimes in this respect by the norms of international law.'
His comments come weeks after the US struck Venezuela and seized its president, alongside Donald Trump's repeated threats to annex Greenland. Guterres stated that he believed the founding principles of the UN—including the equality of member states—were now under threat.
President Trump has previously been scathing in his criticism of the United Nations, having questioned its purpose during a General Assembly address last September. He claimed to have 'ended seven unendable wars' independently and that the UN 'did not even try to help in any of them.' Guterres remarked that the UN was struggling to enforce international laws and that major powers often undermined its authority.
Regarding the UN Security Council, he criticized its current structure and the misuse of veto power by permanent members, notably the US and Russia, which hampers efforts to resolve conflicts in Ukraine and Gaza.
Guterres, whose term as Secretary-General is nearing its end, conveyed that reform of the UN is necessary to address dramatic global challenges, emphasizing that the time has come for a collective movement against the belief that 'the law of power' should take precedence over the power of law.
His comments come weeks after the US struck Venezuela and seized its president, alongside Donald Trump's repeated threats to annex Greenland. Guterres stated that he believed the founding principles of the UN—including the equality of member states—were now under threat.
President Trump has previously been scathing in his criticism of the United Nations, having questioned its purpose during a General Assembly address last September. He claimed to have 'ended seven unendable wars' independently and that the UN 'did not even try to help in any of them.' Guterres remarked that the UN was struggling to enforce international laws and that major powers often undermined its authority.
Regarding the UN Security Council, he criticized its current structure and the misuse of veto power by permanent members, notably the US and Russia, which hampers efforts to resolve conflicts in Ukraine and Gaza.
Guterres, whose term as Secretary-General is nearing its end, conveyed that reform of the UN is necessary to address dramatic global challenges, emphasizing that the time has come for a collective movement against the belief that 'the law of power' should take precedence over the power of law.
