UNITED NATIONS – The UN General Assembly voted in an extraordinary session on Wednesday to demand an immediate halt to Moscow’s attack on Ukraine and the withdrawal of all Russian troops, with long applause following a great show of support among 193 member states against the invasion.
The resolution “Aggression against Ukraine” was voted with 141 votes in favor and 35 abstentions. This happened when Russia bombed the second largest city in Ukraine and besieged two important ports, and a huge convoy of Russian military vehicles was stationed in front of the Ukrainian capital Kyiv.
Only Belarus, Syria, North Korea and Eritrea have joined Russia in opposing the measure, a powerful indication of international isolation facing Russian President Vladimir Putin for invading his country’s smaller neighbor – and what supporters of the resolution have been trying to do. to emphasize.
Abstains include China and India, as expected, but also some surprises from Russia’s usual allies, Cuba and Nicaragua. And the United Arab Emirates, which abstained from a similar Security Council resolution on Friday, voted yes.
Cuba defended Russia on Tuesday, with Ambassador Pedro Luis Cuesta blaming the crisis for what he said was the US determination to continue expanding NATO to Russia’s borders and supplying modern weapons to Ukraine, ignoring Russia’s fears about its own. your security. He told the meeting that the resolution “suffers from imbalance” and does not address the concerns of both sides or “the responsibility of those who took aggressive action that accelerated the escalation of this conflict.”
Unlike Security Council resolutions, General Assembly resolutions are not legally binding, but have an impact on international opinion. According to the rules of special extraordinary sessions, a resolution must be approved by two-thirds of the voting states, and abstentions are not counted.
From Washington, US President Joe Biden called the special session historic and a demonstration of “unprecedented global unity”.
“The vast majority of the world recognizes that if we do not stand up to Putin’s Russia, it will only bring further chaos and aggression to the world,” Biden said in a statement.
After Russia vetoed a similar Security Council resolution on Friday, Ukraine and its supporters won the assembly’s approval to hold an extraordinary special session – the first since 1997 – to try to shed light on resistance to the Russian invasion.
Condemning Russia’s “aggression” against Ukraine “in the strongest terms”, the measure calls for an immediate cessation of the use of force by Moscow and the immediate, complete and unconditional withdrawal of all Russian forces.
The resolution said Russia’s military operations in Ukraine were “on a scale the international community has not seen in Europe in decades and that urgent action is needed to save this generation from the scourge of war”. He “insists on an immediate peaceful resolution of the conflict” and reaffirms the Assembly’s commitment to “Ukraine’s sovereignty, independence, unity and territorial integrity” within its internationally recognized borders.
The measure also condemns the “decision of the Russian Federation to increase the readiness of its nuclear forces” – a question raised by many UN members concerned about this prospect.
Prior to the vote, Ukrainian Ambassador to the UN Sergei Kislitsa told the meeting: “They came to Ukrainian soil, not just to kill some of us … they came to deprive Ukraine of its very right to exist.” He said “the crimes are so barbaric that they are difficult to understand.”
Russia’s ambassador, Vasily Nebenzya, called on UN members to vote against the resolution, saying Western countries had exerted “unprecedented pressure” with “open and cynical threats” to gain support for the measure.
“This document will not allow us to end military activities. On the contrary, it could encourage Kiev radicals and nationalists to continue to shape their country’s policies at all costs, “Nebenzia warned.
“Your refusal to support today’s draft resolution is a vote for a peaceful Ukraine that will not be ruled from outside,” he said. “That was the purpose of our special military operation, which the authors of this resolution tried to present as aggression.”
The resolution also calls on Russia to repeal the decision to recognize two separatist parts of eastern Ukraine as independent. The measure also deplores “Belarus’ interference in this illegal use of force against Ukraine”, a feature that Belarusian Ambassador Valentin Ribakov categorically rejected in his speech to the assembly shortly before the vote.
He said Belarus’ only involvement in the conflict was the holding of talks, which are due to continue on Thursday, between Russia and Ukraine. Belarus has sided with Russia, with Rybakov saying the resolution reflects “double standards” with Russia and the West.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres told reporters immediately after the vote: “The message of the General Assembly is strong and clear: Stop hostilities in Ukraine – now. Shut up your weapons – now. Open the door to dialogue and diplomacy – now. “
“We have no time to lose,” he said. “The brutal consequences of the conflict are obvious … It threatens to get much, much worse.”
US Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield called on all countries to “maintain momentum”, do everything possible to help the Ukrainian people, hold Russia accountable and “combine strong words with strong actions”.
Explaining China’s abstention, Ambassador Zhang Jun used more emotional language than in previous UN meetings, citing “dramatic changes in the situation in Ukraine” and calling what was happening “heartbreaking.” He reaffirmed Beijing’s support for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all countries and for the peaceful settlement of all disputes in accordance with the UN Charter.
“The main priority at the moment is to alleviate the situation on the ground as much as possible and to prevent the situation from escalating or even getting out of control,” Zhang said.
During more than two days of meetings before the vote, there were speeches from about 120 countries.
From the small Pacific island nation of Palau to European economic power, Germany, country after country, has attacked Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, demanding support for the UN resolution.
There were only a few who supported Russia and some who did not, such as South Africa. Calling for compromise and diplomacy to find a lasting solution to the crisis, South Africa is refraining.
Co-sponsors of the resolution include Afghanistan, where the Taliban overthrew the elected government last August, and Myanmar, where the military overthrew the elected government led by Aung San Suu Kyi on February 1, 2021. But neither the Taliban nor the Myanmar military government did so. so support came from representatives of their previous governments.
During the meeting, some supporters of the resolution had placards under the nameplates of their countries in the blue and yellow color of Ukraine, reading: “#TodayWeAreAllUkraine”.
British Ambassador Barbara Woodward said the vote sent a clear message that the assembly condemned Putin and supported Ukraine.
“We have confronted those who seek to cross the world’s borders by threatening or using force,” she said. “Because if President Putin’s aggression against Ukraine remains uncontrolled, which country could be next?”