The UN General Assembly has condemned Russia’s illegal annexations of Ukraine with a historic majority. 143 of the 193 member states voted in the largest body of the United Nations in New York for a corresponding resolution – 5 countries voted against, 35 abstained. Only Belarus, North Korea, Nicaragua and Syria voted together with Russia. The decision is not binding under international law, but it shows Moscow’s clear international isolation.
The resolution passed on Wednesday condemns and invalidates Russia’s annexation. In addition, the Kremlin is asked to reverse the incorporation of the partially occupied regions of Luhansk, Donetsk, Zaporizhia and Cherson.
The result was better than the 141 votes in the general assembly to condemn Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in March – and the 100 votes for a similar resolution after the annexation of Crimea in 2014. Also Brazil, Turkey and Saudi Arabia voted for the resolution. With China and India, however, two powerful states with a population of around 2.8 billion abstained.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba thanked the 143 countries that voted for the resolution on Twitter.
The strong result exceeded even the forecasts of the biggest western optimists. Before the vote, observers had assumed that in many countries, especially in Africa and Latin America, a certain degree of war weariness and dependence on Russia could lead to less support for the resolution. Some states find that the Ukraine war is marginalizing other devastating conflicts and preventing progress.
American ambassador to the UN: ‘You could be next’
At the emergency session of the General Assembly, which began on Monday, diplomats from dozens of countries warned that every UN member country must have a self-interest in condemning Russia. “Today it is Russia invading Ukraine. But tomorrow it could be another nation whose territory is violated. It could be you. You could be next,” said US Ambassador to the UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield.
Germany expressed a similar view: “The sovereign equality and territorial integrity of each of us would be at the mercy of our neighbors”.
Ukraine had called on members to accept the resolution, and Moscow spoke of “dangerous polarization” at the UN. On Thursday, China warned of bloc formation and a new Cold War and called for peace negotiations. A draft resolution similar to the one now passed failed at the end of September in the UN Security Council due to opposition from Russia. There, resolutions have binding effect under international law. However, the permanent members Russia, China, the USA, France and Great Britain can block any decision there with their vetoes.
