2 yıl önce

UN condemns Russia's 'illegal annexation' of Ukraine territories

UN General Assembly votes 143-5 with 35 abstentions in favour of non-binding resolution and urges all countries not to recognise Russia’s annexation of four Ukrainian regions.

AP

Russia, Venezuela, North Korea, Belarus and Syria voted against the resolution, while 33 abstained, among them, were China and India.

The UN General Assembly (UNGA) has voted overwhelmingly to condemn Russia's "attempted illegal annexation" of four Ukrainian regions and demand that Moscow immediately reverse its actions.

Wednesday's 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 attacked their smaller neighbour on February 24.

Western nations engaged in intense behind-the-scenes lobbying ahead of the vote while Russia's ally Syria warned against isolating Moscow.

The more powerful UN Security Council, whose resolutions are legally binding, has been stymied from taking action on Ukraine because of Russia's veto power which it used on September 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 that 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.

More than 50 Western countries promise to provide more advanced weapons for Ukraine after Russia launched its most intense missile strikes since beginning of war pic.twitter.com/VZCVx1CNG2
— TRT World Now (@TRTWorldNow) October 12, 2022

'No neutrality'

But the assembly voted by a far smaller margin on April 7 to suspend Russia from the world organisation'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.

US 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 US-based foreign diplomats representing more than 100 countries to make the case for voting in favour of the resolution, State Department spokesperson Ned Price told reporters in Washington.

"There is no such thing as neutrality," Price said, calling Russian President Vladimir Putin’s actions "completely unacceptable."

The resolution was a response to Russia’s announced annexation last month of Ukraine's Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions following Kremlin-orchestrated "referendums" that the Ukrainian government and the West have dismissed as sham votes conducted on occupied land amid warfare and displacement.

SOURCE: AP