The United Nations General Assembly on Wednesday voted overwhelmingly to condemn Russia’s annexation of parts of Ukraine after Moscow vetoed a similar attempt in the Security Council.
The General Assembly approved the resolution by 143 votes in favor and five against, but 35 nations abstained, including China, India, South Africa and Pakistan, despite major US diplomatic efforts to secure clearer condemnation of Moscow.
The resolution “condemns the Russian Federation’s organization of so-called referendums within Ukraine’s internationally recognized borders” and “the attempted illegal annexation” that President Vladimir Putin announced last month of four regions.
She called on all UN and international organizations not to recognize border changes announced by Russia and demanded that Moscow “immediately and unconditionally reverse” its decisions.
US Ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield had urged all nations to send a message that the world “will not tolerate the forcible seizure of a neighbor’s land.”
“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. What would you expect from this chamber?” She said.
The United States had expended particular energy in persuading South Africa, and particularly India, a growing US partner that has historically had close ties with Russia, to also abstain in the Security Council, where it holds a non-permanent seat.
The final vote was largely the same, with a net two-plus vote against Russia than in March, when the General Assembly condemned the initial invasion of Ukraine.
Bangladesh, Iraq and Senegal – who abstained in March – voted on Wednesday to condemn Russia.
Eritrea, one of the most closed nations in the world, went from a “no” to an abstention, while Nicaragua went from an abstention to a “no” amid mounting international pressure over human rights, alongside only Russia, Belarus, North Korea and Syria.
“South Africa regards the territorial integrity of States and Ukraine as sacrosanct and we oppose any action that undermines the purposes and principles of the UN Charter and international law,” said South Africa’s representative Mathu Joyini.
“We abstained from voting on the resolution because we believe that the objective of this assembly, in accordance with its mandate, must always be to contribute to a constructive outcome conducive to building a lasting peace in Ukraine,” she said.
Western powers counter that Russia is not really interested in peace, as shown by the deadly attacks on civilians in Kyiv and western Ukraine.
Indian envoy Ruchira Kamboj said that “the entire global South has suffered significant collateral damage” from the war and that “urgent issues” were not addressed in the resolution.
Bangladesh justified its attempt to condemn Russia, saying the international community should also stand firmly against any attempt by Israel to annex occupied Palestinian territory.
“We firmly believe that the purposes and principles of the UN Charter relating to respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity and the peaceful settlement of all disputes must be universally upheld by everyone, everywhere and under all circumstances,” said the Ambassador of Bangladesh, Muhammad Abdul Muhith.
