The United Nations General Assembly on Thursday passed a non-binding resolution calling for an end to Russia’s hostilities in Ukraine and demanding the withdrawal of its forces, sending a strong message on the eve of the first anniversary of the invasion.
The resolution, drafted by Ukraine in consultation with its allies, was approved with 141 votes in favor to seven against, with 32 abstentions.
Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said the vote was further proof that not only the West supports his country.
“This vote challenges the argument that the global south does not support Ukraine,” Kuleba said. “Many countries representing Latin America, Africa, Asia voted in favor.”
The General Assembly has become the most important body of the United Nations to deal with the issue of Ukraine because the Security Council, which is in charge of maintaining international peace and security, is paralyzed due to the veto power of Russia. The resolutions of the General Assembly, unlike those of the Security Council, are not binding but serve as a barometer of world opinion.
The seven countries that voted against were Belarus, Nicaragua, Russia, Syria, North Korea, Eritrea and Mali, which has developed close military ties with Russia.
The vote in favor was slightly less than the highest total of the five previous resolutions passed by the 193-member world body since Russian troops crossed its neighbor’s border on February 24, 2022. The highest vote was to an October resolution in which 143 countries voted against Russia’s illegal annexations.
Foreign ministers and diplomats from more than 75 countries addressed the assembly during two days of debates, many calling for support for a resolution upholding Ukraine’s territorial integrity, a basic principle of the United Nations Charter to the that all countries must adhere once they join the world body.
The war has claimed tens of thousands of lives on both sides and reduced entire cities to rubble, causing an impact that has been felt worldwide due to rising food and fuel prices and higher inflation.
Venezuela’s deputy ambassador, Joaquín Pérez Ayestarán, addressed the council on behalf of 16 countries that voted against or abstained on almost all of the five previous resolutions on Ukraine: Belarus, Bolivia, Cambodia, China, Cuba, Eritrea, Equatorial Guinea, Iran, Laos, Mali, Nicaragua, North Korea, Saint Vincent, Syria, Venezuela and Zimbabwe.
As other countries focused on Russia’s actions, Pérez Ayestarán said Wednesday that all countries without exception must strictly abide by the United Nations Charter, a statement directed against the international order that the United States and Europe have long dominated and that some consider violates those principles.
The head of European Union diplomacy, Josep Borrell, told the press that the aggressor and the victim cannot be put on the same level. But China’s deputy ambassador to the UN, Dai Bing, told the Assembly on Thursday: “We support Russia and Ukraine rapprochement… The international community should make joint efforts to facilitate peace talks.”
China says it remains neutral in the conflict and supports peace talks, but has not criticized or described the invasion as such. Beijing has condemned the United States and its allies for imposing sanctions against Moscow and providing military assistance to Ukraine.
