The United Nations headquarters building is seen from inside the General Assembly hall on Sept. 21, 2021.EDUARDO MUNOZ/The Associated Press
The UN General Assembly voted overwhelmingly Wednesday to condemn Russia’s “attempted illegal annexation” of four Ukrainian regions and demand that Moscow immediately reverse its actions.
The vote in the 193-member world body was 143-5 with 35 abstentions, the strongest support from the General Assembly for Ukraine and against Russia of the four resolutions it has approved since Russian troops invaded their smaller neighbor Feb. 24.
Only 4 countries joined Russia in voting against the resolution - Syria, Nicaragua, North Korea and Belarus. Another 35 countries abstained from the vote, including Russia’s strategic partner China, while the rest did not vote.
Western nations engaged in intense behind-the-scenes lobbying ahead of the vote while Russia’s ally Syria warned against isolating Moscow.
Opinion: This war has gone on long enough. It’s time to negotiate with Mr. Hitler
Russia arrests eight for Crimea bridge blast as NATO allies pledge to boost Ukrainian air defences
The more powerful UN Security Council, whose resolutions are legally binding, has been stymied on taking action on Ukraine because of Russia’s veto power which it used on Sept. 29 to block condemnation of Russia’s illegal attempts to annex Ukrainian territory. By contrast, the General Assembly, where there are no vetoes, has approved three resolutions which reflect world opinion but are not legally binding.
The assembly voted 141-5 with 35 abstentions on March 2 to demand an immediate Russian ceasefire, withdrawal of all its forces and protection for all civilians. On March 24, it voted 140-5 with 38 abstentions on a resolution blaming Russia for Ukraine’s humanitarian crisis and urging an immediate ceasefire and protection for millions of civilians and the homes, schools and hospitals critical to their survival.
But the assembly voted by a far smaller margin on April 7 to suspend Russia from the world organization’s leading human rights body, the Geneva-based Human Rights Council, over allegations that Russian soldiers in Ukraine engaged in rights violations that the United States and Ukraine have called war crimes. The vote was 93-24 with 58 abstentions.
Western diplomats, speaking on condition of anonymity ahead of the vote, were predicting at least 110 “yes” votes for the resolution. Some noted that a 2014 resolution affirming Ukraine’s territorial integrity and declaring the referendum that led to Russia’s annexation of the Crimean Peninsula illegal was adopted by a vote of 100-11 with 58 abstentions.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Victoria Nuland on Tuesday convened a virtual meeting with more than 160 U.S.-based foreign diplomats representing more than 100 countries to make the case for voting in favour of the resolution, State Department spokesman Ned Price told reporters in Washington.
“There is no such thing as neutrality,” Price said, calling Russian President Vladimir Putin’s actions “completely unacceptable.”
With a report from Reuters