As a sign of the strong international opposition to the seven-month war and Moscow’s attempt to annex its neighbor’s territory, the U. N. General Assembly overwhelmingly voted on Wednesday to condemn Russia’s “attempted illegal annexation” of four Ukrainian regions and demand its immediate reversal.
The 193-member international organisation voted 143-5 with 35 abstentions. Of the four resolutions the General Assembly has voted since Russian soldiers invaded Ukraine on February 24, it provided the strongest support for Ukraine and against Russia.
Sergiy Kyslytsya, the ambassador of Ukraine to the United Nations, dubbed the vote “wonderful” and “a historic event.” U.S. Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield described it as “a tremendous day” and added that supporters were “holding our breaths.” It is “a wonderful success” that “sends a thundering message to Russia that they are and remain isolated,” according to European Union Ambassador Olof Skoog.
The vote, according to U.S. President Joe Biden, showed that everyone is “more united and more determined than ever to hold Russia accountable for its violations.” It sends “a strong message” that “Russia cannot change boundaries by force” or “remove a sovereign state from the map,” the official said.
The resolution was supported by the West in response to Russia’s last month stated annexation of the provinces of Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia in Ukraine. Moscow reacted in response to Kremlin-orchestrated “referendums” that the West and the Ukrainian government have rejected as sham elections held on occupied territory during times of conflict and dislocation.
United Nations Charter violation
Speaker after speaker at the emergency special session of the assembly on Ukraine that was just resumed accused Russia of flouting fundamental tenets of the United Nations Charter, namely respect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all U. N. member nations.
Before the voting on Wednesday, proponents of the resolution that was facilitated by the EU actively lobbied. The United Nations was founded on the principle that “never again would one country be allowed to acquire another’s territory by force,” according to U.S. envoy Thomas-Greenfield, who spoke to the assembly prior to the vote.
After the vote, she informed reporters that “in the eyes of the world and the UN, Ukraine’s borders remain the same.”
The resolution also conveys a very significant message to Moscow and to everyone: It makes no difference whether your country is great or little, wealthy or impoverished, old or new.“The resolution also sends an enormously important signal to Moscow and to everyone: It does not matter if you as a nation are big or small, rich or poor, old or new. If you are a U. N. member state, your borders are your own and are protected by international law,” Ms. Thomas-Greenfield said. “They cannot be redrawn by anyone else by force.”
How many nations would back the resolution was a crucial concern for its Western proponents, and the outcome exceeded even their most hopeful predictions.
The General Assembly demanded a quick Russian ceasefire, the removal of all Russian forces, and protection for all civilians on March 2 by a vote of 141-5 with 35 abstentions. On March 24, it passed a resolution demanding an immediate ceasefire, the protection of millions of civilians, and the homes, schools, and hospitals that are essential to their survival by a vote of 140-5 with 38 abstentions. The resolution also blamed Russia for the humanitarian crisis in Ukraine.
However, the vote to expel Russia from the Geneva-based Human Rights Council on April 7 was much narrower due to claims that Russian soldiers in Ukraine committed rights breaches that the US and Ukraine have referred to as war crimes. 58 people abstained, making the final vote 93-24.
By a vote of 100-11 with 58 abstentions, a resolution from 2014 that upheld Ukraine’s territorial integrity and deemed the vote that resulted in Russia annexing the Crimean Peninsula unconstitutional was approved.
The “yes” votes from Brazil, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and other Gulf Cooperation Council countries were among the resolution’s unexpected backers.
Russia reacts
Vassily Nebenzia, Russia’s ambassador to the United Nations, had urged nations to vote against the resolution, describing it as “a politicised and overtly confrontational document” and criticising its authors as “scrupulous Western blackmailers.” He expressed sorrow that a secret ballot was not used, as Russia had requested but the assembly had rejected.
Reiterating Russia’s assertions that the referendums were legitimate, Mr. Nebenzia stated that “the people in these regions do not wish to return to Ukraine.”
North Korea, Belarus, Syria, and Nicaragua were the four nations that joined Russia in rejecting the resolution.
Kyslytsya of Ukraine sincerely regretted that the four nations “made the incorrect choice against the U. N. Charter” and urged them to reevaluate their adherence to its ideals.
India dissipates
19 of the 35 nations that did not vote included South Africa and were from Africa. Along with Pakistan and Cuba, the world’s two most populous nations—China and India—also chose to abstain.
The veto power of Russia, which it used on September 29 to reject criticism of Russia’s attempts to annexe Ukrainian land, has prevented the more powerful Security Council, whose resolutions are binding, from acting on Ukraine.
not a binding contract
Contrarily, the General Assembly, where vetoes are unheard of, has now ratified four resolutions criticising Russia over the Ukraine. Although not legally binding, its votes represent the consensus of the world.
In accordance with the resolution passed on Wednesday, Moscow’s actions violate Ukraine’s territorial integrity and sovereignty, are “inconsistent” with the U.N. Charter, and “have no legal standing and do not constitute the basis for any change in the status of these regions of Ukraine.”
It asks that Russia “withdraw all of its military forces from the land of Ukraine, within its internationally recognised boundaries, immediately, totally, and unconditionally.”
Furthermore, it encourages “the de-escalation of the situation and a peaceful resolution of the crisis through political conversation, negotiation, mediation and other peaceful means” that respect Ukraine’s territorial integrity, sovereignty, and internationally recognised borders.
Among the more than 70 speakers, many nations called for a peaceful end to the war. However, he emphasised that it must be based on Ukraine’s territorial integrity. The E. U.’s Skoog called the appeal for a peaceful solution “very important.”
The resolution received a lot of support during the discussion on Wednesday.
Australian Ambassador Mitch Fifield urged all nations to condemn acts of aggression and referred to Russia’s proposed annexation as “illegal and a dangerous escalation.”
Voters in the four “fake” referendums “faced intimidation by the Russian military and Russia’s illegitimately appointed authority,” according to Irish ambassador Fergal Mythen.
However, he did state that “the forcible annexation of regions from a sovereign country is a flagrant violation of the U. N. Charter and international laws, which is not acceptable,” and he urged that internationally recognised borders “be fully respected.” The Cambodian Ambassador Sovann Ke did not state how he would vote. Cambodia voted in favour of the resolution.
Hwang Joonkook, South Korea’s ambassador, unambiguously backed Ukraine’s “sovereignty, political independence, and geographical integrity.” After the 1950–1953 Korean War, he claimed that his nation’s “own tragic experiences” “can witness that any attempt to separate a nation in whatever form or style is only the beginning of ongoing very significant issues, rather than a solution.”
On the other side of that divide, North Korean Ambassador Kim Song backed “self-determination” as a right guaranteed by the U.N. Charter for the inhabitants of the four regions annexed by Russia and argued that the outcomes must be respected.
He claimed that under the “pretext” of advancing global peace and security, the United States and other Western nations had “brutally” violated the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the former Yugoslavia, Afghanistan, Iraq, and Libya without ever having their actions questioned by the Security Council. He claimed that the United States is still meddling in other nations’ internal issues in the twenty-first century.
Asserting that the General Assembly was being “flagrantly abused by some Western countries for their own geopolitical purposes,” Syrian Ambassador Bassam Sabbagh pleaded with other nations to resist efforts “to isolate Russia and to employ double standards.”
