Greece assumes UN Security Council presidency with maritime safety and Ukraine at top of agenda

Council leadership and mandate

On 1 October 2026, Greece assumed the rotating presidency of the United Nations Security Council for the month of October. The role is held by Greece's permanent representative to the UN, Ambassador Aglaia Balta, representing the second and final presidency of the country's two-year 2025–2026 elected term. Greece previously held the presidency in May 2025, and its tenure on the 15-member body will conclude on 31 December 2026. While the council president oversees debates, closed consultations, and the daily agenda under the authority of all members, the position does not permit unilateral policymaking. Deep divisions among the five permanent members continue to test the council's ability to forge common responses to international conflicts.

Maritime security and navigation rights

Athens has established freedom of navigation and the protection of international straits as its primary thematic priority for the month. Speaking at the UN General Assembly in New York, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis noted that strategic waterways from the Red Sea and the Strait of Hormuz to the Indo-Pacific are increasingly turning into arenas of confrontation. Mitsotakis stressed that more than 90% of global trade moves by sea, warning that threats to commercial transit disrupt energy markets, food security, and international supply chains. Greece has opposed the imposition of fees or transit charges in the Strait of Hormuz and stated its readiness to consider participating in a council-backed international security mission. Foreign Minister George Gerapetritis outlined the limits of potential involvement during an interview with SKAI.

We would discuss participating in a European mission, a mission that would be under the auspices of the United Nations for freedom of navigation in the Persian Gulf. Of course, however, this cannot happen under conditions of war, because security guarantees do not exist.

Deepening conflict in Ukraine

The war in Ukraine remains at the forefront of the council's security agenda as winter approaches. During a high-level Security Council session on 23 September 2026, Under-Secretary-General Rosemary DiCarlo warned that the war is entering a "dangerous new phase" marked by intensifying strikes and risks of regional spillover. UN figures indicate that more civilians were killed or injured in Ukraine during the first eight months of 2026 than in the entirety of 2025. Heightened concerns surround potential strikes against energy infrastructure, as well as safety risks near international borders and nuclear installations across the region.

Fragile ceasefire and diplomatic agenda

In the Middle East, the council faces a difficult humanitarian situation and persistent military friction nearly one year after the October 2025 ceasefire in Gaza. The UN continues to describe the truce as fragile amid ongoing Israeli strikes and delayed implementation of Security Council Resolution 2803, which governs transitional arrangements and recovery efforts. Instability is also mounting across the West Bank, adding pressure on council deliberations. Alongside these regional conflicts, the October agenda includes preliminary discussions surrounding the succession of UN Secretary-General António Guterres.