Vetoes and Council dynamics
Veto events by permanent member over time, and where the permanent five have not voted together.
Veto events per year, by member
Data table
| Member | Veto events |
|---|---|
| USSR | 120 |
| Russian Federation | 43 |
| United States | 95 |
| China | 23 |
| United Kingdom | 32 |
| France | 18 |
Where the permanent five did not all vote yes
Among adopted resolutions taken by recorded vote, the share on which at least one permanent member abstained or did not vote, by topic. A veto prevents adoption, so vetoes themselves appear above, not here.
Overall: 493 of 2751 recorded votes (18%). Permanent five – agreement →
| Topic | Recorded votes | P5 not all 'yes' | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Peacekeeping and missions | 1409 | 168 | 12% |
| Middle East | 559 | 153 | 27% |
| Africa | 1125 | 150 | 13% |
| Europe and Balkans | 428 | 68 | 16% |
| Sanctions | 288 | 63 | 22% |
| Asia and Pacific | 212 | 47 | 22% |
| Humanitarian and protection | 191 | 31 | 16% |
| International justice | 113 | 20 | 18% |
| Americas | 102 | 19 | 19% |
| Membership and appointments | 118 | 11 | 9% |
| Non-proliferation and disarmament | 70 | 6 | 9% |
| Counter-terrorism | 85 | 3 | 4% |
Topics are assigned by keyword rules and overlap. “P5 not all yes” counts votes where at least one permanent member abstained or did not vote; the dataset’s own permanent-member flag is used (China’s seat changed in 1971, the USSR’s passed to Russia in 1991).
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Recent veto events
| Date | Vetoed by | Agenda item | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-09-17 | China, Russian Federation | Non-proliferationS/2026/740 | Veto source record |
| 2026-04-07 | China, Russian Federation | Middle East (Strait of Hormuz)S/2026/273 | Veto source record |
| 2025-09-18 | United States | Middle East, including Palestinian questionS/2025/583 | Veto source record |
| 2025-06-04 | United States | Middle East, including Palestinian questionS/2025/353 | Veto source record |
| 2025-02-24 | Russian Federation | UkraineS/2025/115 | Veto source record |
| 2025-02-24 | Russian Federation | UkraineS/2025/116 | Veto source record |
| 2024-11-20 | United States | Middle East, including Palestinian questionS/2024/835 | Veto source record |
| 2024-11-18 | Russian Federation | Sudan and South SudanS/2024/826 | Veto source record |
| 2024-04-24 | Russian Federation | Non-proliferationS/2024/302 | Veto source record |
| 2024-04-18 | United States | Admission of new MembersS/2024/312 | Veto source record |
| 2024-03-28 | Russian Federation | Non-proliferation/DPRKS/2024/255 | Veto source record |
| 2024-03-22 | China, Russian Federation | Middle East, including Palestinian questionS/2024/239 | Veto source record |
| 2024-02-20 | United States | Middle East, including Palestinian questionS/2024/173 | Veto source record |
| 2023-12-22 | United States | Middle East, including Palestinian questionOral amendment | Veto source record |
| 2023-12-08 | United States | Middle East, including Palestinian questionS/2023/970 | Veto source record |
Source: UN Peace & Security Data Hub, dataset DPPA-SCVETOES (link).