UN Chief Criticizes US for Prioritizing Power Over International Law

Mon Jan 19 2026 20:56:53 GMT+0200 (Eastern European Standard Time)

In a recent BBC interview, UN Secretary-General António Guterres expressed concerns that the US views its power as superseding international law, undermining the principles of the UN.

UN Secretary-General António Guterres, speaking on BBC Radio 4, stated that the US believes its influence outweighs international law, jeopardizing multilateral solutions. While criticizing US actions in recent global conflicts, Guterres emphasized the need for UN reform to address modern challenges and restore its legitimacy in a power-driven world. He warned that the principles of equality among nations are under threat and called for a reevaluation of the UN Security Council's structure to better reflect global realities.

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 - and in the context of Donald Trump's repeated threats to annex Greenland.

Guterres said 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.

He used his address at last September's General Assembly to question its very purpose, claiming he had ended seven unendable wars on his own and the UN did not even try to help in any of them.

Presented with this damning assessment, Guterres admitted his organisation was struggling to make members abide by the international laws laid out in the UN Charter.

The UN was extremely engaged in solving major global conflicts, he insisted. But the UN has no leverage - the big powers have stronger leverage.

He questioned whether that extra leverage was being used to produce real and enduring solutions to those conflicts, or just quick fixes. There is a big difference between the two things, he noted.

Guterres also said his organisation needed reform to tackle dramatic problems and challenges facing its 193 members.

There are those that believe the power of law should be replaced by the law of power, the UN chief said.

He suggested the UN Security Council - designed to maintain international peace and security - no longer represented the world and was ineffective.

Guterres claimed vetoes were being used to further individual members' interests, and criticised the fact that three European countries were permanent members.

He called for changes to the council's composition - to regain legitimacy and give voice to the whole world - and to limit veto powers to avoid unacceptable blockages.

Guterres – a former Portuguese prime minister – took on the job of heading the UN in 2017, and will leave the role at the end of this year.

In his annual remarks to the General Assembly, he warned of a world in chaos, brimming with conflict, impunity, inequality and unpredictability, and identified brazen violations of international law as one of the biggest challenges facing the global order.

Guterres stressed the importance of confronting power to create a better world, noting, If we don't confront the powerful, we will never be able to have a better world.