United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres has accused the United States of placing its dominance above international law, in a BBC Radio 4 Today programme interview.
He highlighted Washington’s rejection of multilateral efforts, favouring raw power instead. “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.”
The comments follow U.S. strikes on Venezuela that captured its leader, plus President Donald Trump’s threats to annex Greenland. Guterres, who took the UN helm in 2017 after leading Portugal and will be stepping down this year, warned of threats to the body’s equal-sovereignty principles amid global chaos and rule-breaking.
Trump has dismissed the UN before. Last September’s General Assembly speech saw him claim he ended “seven unendable wars” alone, adding, “Later I realised that the UN wasn’t there for us.”
Guterres admitted enforcement woes under the UN Charter, as major powers hold more sway. “But the UN has no leverage – the big powers have stronger leverage,” he said. “There is a big difference between the two things,” he added of lasting versus temporary fixes.
He slammed the Security Council’s vetoes—used by Russia and the U.S. to stall Ukraine and Gaza action—calling for expansion and veto curbs to reflect today’s world and end gridlock.
In Gaza, UN aid faltered under Israeli blocks, with Israel outsourcing to the Gaza Humanitarian Organisation where Palestinians died seeking food.
“Of course, but let’s be clear. For a long time, Israel was saying that humanitarian aid was not distributed because the UN was not able to do so. Of course, whenever Israel would not allow us to move into Gaza, we couldn’t move into Gaza. And then there was a ceasefire, and a massive flow of humanitarian aid. We were ready, provided we had the conditions,” Guterres said.
He recently deemed 1945 structures unfit for 2026 crises, citing Venezuela upheaval, Iran protests, and Greenland plans. Yet he remained hopeful.
“There are those that believe the power of law should be replaced by the law of power. Indeed, when one sees the present policy of the United States, there is a clear conviction that multilateral solutions are not relevant and that what matters is the exercise of the power and the influence of the United States and sometimes in this respect by the norms of international law.”
“I think that people are sometimes reluctant to confront the powerful. But the truth is that if we don’t confront the powerful, we will never be able to have a better world.”