In early October, Russian President Vladimir Putin (70) made it official and declared the Ukrainian regions of Kherson, Zaporizhzhya, Luhansk and Donetsk as Russian territory. It soon became clear that numerous countries banned the Kremlin’s annexations.
Now the UN General Assembly has officially condemned Russia’s “illegal annexations” in Ukraine by a large majority: 143 of the 193 UN member states voted in favor of a corresponding resolution at an emergency session in New York on Wednesday, five against. So Kremlin ruler Putin looks old.
The vast majority support Ukraine
US President Joe Biden (79) spoke of a “clear message” to Moscow. Meanwhile, several Western states have pledged to supply anti-aircraft defense systems to Ukraine. Russia “cannot erase a sovereign state from the map,” President Biden said. “143 countries have sided with freedom, sovereignty and territorial integrity,” he added.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken (60) said the vote showed international unity against Russia and reiterated that Washington would never recognize the mock referendum. The vote was a “reminder that the vast majority of nations are behind Ukraine,” Blinken said.
US Ambassador to the United Nations, Linda Thomas-Greenfield (69), had previously asked all countries to set an example. “Today it is Russia that invades Ukraine. But tomorrow it could be another country whose territory is being violated. It could be yours,” said Thomas-Greenfield.
China abstained from voting
35 countries abstained, including Russia’s allies China, India, South Africa and Pakistan. Previously, the US tried to get South Africa and India, which has historically close ties to Russia, to vote in favor of the resolution.
Indian envoy Ruchira Kamboj, 58, justified India’s abstention by saying that “the entire global south has suffered significant collateral damage as a result of the war” and that “urgent issues” were not addressed in the resolution.
By early March, 141 countries had already voted in favor of a resolution asking Russia to “immediately” withdraw from Ukraine. Bangladesh, Iraq and Senegal, which abstained in March, voted in favor of the resolution on Wednesday. Russia, Belarus, North Korea, Syria and Nicaragua opposed the resolution.
The new resolution condemns Russia’s so-called “referendums” in the occupied territories of Ukraine and the subsequent annexation of the Luhansk, Donetsk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhya regions.
Kremlin has previously avoided conviction in the UN Security Council
At the end of September, Russia vetoed a resolution condemning the annexations in the UN Security Council. In contrast, Russia has no veto power in the UN General Assembly.
Meanwhile, several countries have announced that they will support Ukraine in building an air defense system. Britain announced on Wednesday that it would supply anti-aircraft missiles to Ukraine to defend itself against Russia. The AMRAAM missiles will be made available in the coming weeks for use with the NASAMS air defense systems promised by the United States. The missiles would help protect critical infrastructure in Ukraine, it said.
France had previously promised Ukraine to provide air defense systems. “We will provide radars, (air defense) systems and missiles” to protect the Ukrainians “particularly against drone attacks,” President Emmanuel Macron said in an interview with France 2 broadcaster on Wednesday.
Germany has already delivered the first Iris-T SLM air defense system to Ukraine and three more will follow in the coming year, as Federal Defense Minister Christine Lambrecht (57) (SPD) confirmed on Wednesday at a meeting of the Ukraine Contact Group in Brussels. .
The announcements came after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, 44, on Tuesday called on G7 nations to help his country build an air defense system. (AFP/dzc)