Dec. 16—U.S. Rep. Joe Wilson, R-S.C., wants Russia removed from the United Nations Security Council.
Wilson, a Republican whose district includes Aiken and Barnwell counties and most of the Columbia suburbs, and U.S. Rep. Steve Cohen, D-Tenn., introduced a resolution Thursday finding that the Russian special operation in the Ukraine places Russia in violation of the charter of the United Nations.
The resolution urges President Joe Biden to direct the State Department and other federal agencies to pursue all appropriate steps to limit, suspend, or terminate rights and privileges that the Russian Federation exercises in the Security Council.
The Security Council is one of six parts of the United Nations. It is assigned to maintaining international peace and security, recommending new members to the United Nations and making any changes to the organization’s charter.
The 15 members on the council include 10 rotating members and five permanent members. The five permanent members are the victorious allies from World War II: the United States, the United Kingdom, France, China and Russia .
The resolution continues Wilson’s efforts to hold Russia accountable for its actions in Ukraine.
Wilson recently visited Ukraine on a congressional delegation trip. He also introduced a bill to sanction a Russian paramilitary company and sent a letter to Secretary of State Antony Blinken asking him to work to remove Russia from the Security Council.
