Russia failed to win enough support on Saturday to regain its seat on the governing council of the United Nations aviation agency, the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO).
This electoral loss is the latest international rebuke of Moscow following its 2022 invasion of Ukraine.
During the ICAO’s assembly in Montreal, Russia received 87 votes, falling just short of the 93 required to secure a position on the 36-nation governing council. Russia initially lost its spot—reserved for “states of chief importance in air transport” alongside countries like the U.S. and China—in 2022 after the invasion. Following Saturday’s result, a Russian representative immediately requested a repeat round of voting, which the assembly did not accept.
Russia’s Transport Ministry criticized the outcome, stating the country’s exclusion “damages the authority and effectiveness of the organization.” The ministry argued that the ICAO should operate “on the basis of broad international consensus, not narrow political interests,” and claimed Moscow had growing support from the BRICS grouping and countries in Africa, the Middle East, and Southeast Asia.
The ICAO sets global safety standards for civil aviation, with the governing council playing a critical role in that process. In addition to the war in Ukraine, Russia also faces council condemnation for allegedly disturbing signals used in navigation, specifically the Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) and Global Positioning System (GPS), charges which Moscow denies.
U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy strongly condemned Russia’s actions earlier this week, calling them “the most aggressive abuser and violator of international agreements and international norms.”
Duffy questioned, “How could we let someone come into a world organization that is truly making the airspace more dangerous, not more safe?”
