All week, the UN General Assembly has been discussing Russia’s forced annexation of occupied areas in Ukraine. On Wednesday evening, the 193 member states voted on a resolution condemning Russia’s annexation. 143 countries joined in condemning Russia. The only ones that stood clearly on the Russian side were North Korea, Syria, Belarus and Nicaragua. Perhaps not so surprisingly, Russia itself also voted against any international condemnation of the country. China and India abstained 35 countries abstained. Among these are major powers such as India and China, which collectively make up more than a third of the world’s population. Both countries have chosen to remain neutral in referendums on Ukraine since the war began, and have continued to trade with Russia. Country overview of the vote Photo: RTV In addition, the count shows that a number of African countries, a few countries in Latin America and some former Soviet republics have chosen not to take a position in the conflict, by abstaining from voting. – Provocative Russia had before the meeting started advocated a secret vote, so that no one would know who condemned or did not condemn them. A large majority of UN member states rejected Russia’s wish to keep the vote secret. Ahead of the vote on Wednesday evening, Russia’s UN ambassador Vassilij Nebenzia urged the general assembly to vote against the resolution. He thought it was politicized and provocative. – It can destroy any effort for a diplomatic solution to the situation, said Nebenzia. He also repeated Russia’s claim that the so-called referendum, which was held in four Russian-occupied areas of Ukraine in September, is legitimate. – Residents of these regions will not be returned to Ukraine, he said. – Received a clear message – It is very important that we maintain the international pressure against Putin’s warfare in Ukraine. That is why it is also important that an overwhelming majority of UN member states have once again voted against Russia’s illegal annexation of Ukrainian lands, says Foreign Minister Anniken Huitfeldt to news. On behalf of Norway, she voted for the resolution condemning the annexation. – This shows that Russia continues to be isolated, and that no one but Putin himself wants this war, says Huitfeldt and adds: – Today, Putin has once again received a clear message from the international community: this illegal war must take end. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is a clear violation of the UN Charter and international rules of the game. Here, Foreign Minister Anniken Huitfeldt votes on the Norwegian-backed text that condemns Russia’s annexation of Ukrainian areas. Photo: Ragnhild Simenstad / Ministry of Foreign Affairs Zelenskyj: – Historic Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyj called the resolution in the UN General Assembly on Wednesday evening historic, and thanked the 143 countries that supported it. – The world has spoken. Russia’s attempted annexation is pointless and will never be recognized by free nations. Ukraine will take back all its territory, the president tweeted on Wednesday evening. Non-binding Ukraine has asked the international community to condemn Russia’s annexation, which it believes is a violation of international law. – Russia’s so-called referendums do not correspond to what we see as an expression of the people’s will, either from a legal or a technical point of view, Ukraine’s UN ambassador Serhij Kyslytsia told the assembly on Monday evening. Russia has declared four Ukrainian territories as Russian. This applies to Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhya. The proposal to condemn the annexation was voted down in the UN Security Council two weeks ago because Russia used its veto. Countries such as China, India, Brazil and Gabon abstained from voting. In contrast to resolutions adopted in the UN Security Council, resolutions adopted in the UN General Assembly are not binding. But this week’s vote is seen as a global test of the international community’s attitude to the war in Ukraine. This is how the 193 UN countries voted.
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The UN condemns the annexation of Ukrainian regions – news Urix – Foreign news and documentaries
