The General Assembly of the United Nations has unanimously condemned Russia’s ambitions to annex four areas of Ukraine.
143 countries endorsed the resolution, while 35 governments, including China and India, abstained.
In addition to Russia, the vote was rejected by Belarus, North Korea, Syria, and Nicaragua.
It was the biggest number of votes against Russia since the invasion, albeit symbolic.
President Vladimir Putin signed documents annexing the eastern Ukrainian provinces of Luhansk, Donetsk, Zaporizhia, and Kherson to Russia in a lavish ceremony at the Kremlin last week.
The agreements were inked with the Moscow-installed leaders of the four regions, following self-proclaimed referendums in the territories that the West condemned as “shams.”
The resolution urges the international community not to recognize Russia’s annexation claims and calls for their “prompt reversal.” It welcomes and “strongly endorses” efforts to de-escalate the crisis through negotiation.
All of the nations who voted with Russia have a lengthy history of criticizing Western governments.
Belarus is regarded as a satellite state of its neighbor and ally, Russia, and its territory was exploited in the February invasion of Ukraine.
In addition to China and India, which have endeavored to remain neutral on the war, 19 African states abstained from the vote.
Numerous African nations have refrained from joining sides in the conflict, which has been attributed to efforts to maintain long-standing trade links or to historic non-alignment principles.
Three of the four governments visited by Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in July voted to abstain: Congo-Brazzaville, Ethiopia, and Uganda.
Ghana, Ivory Coast, Kenya, and Senegal, all of which participated in a recent tour by Ukraine’s foreign minister, voted at the United Nations to censure Russia.
Dmytro Kuleba’s journey was ostensibly an effort to oppose Russian influence in Africa, but he cut short his trip after key Ukrainian cities came under attack by missiles on Monday.
President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine expressed gratitude to the countries that supported the resolution.
The world has spoken – [Russia’s] annexation attempts are meaningless and will never be recognized by free nations,” he tweeted, adding that Ukraine would “return all of its lands.”
The vote, according to Vice President Joe Biden, delivered a “clear message” to Moscow.
“The stakes of this confrontation are evident to everyone, and the international community has responded with a clear message: Russia cannot obliterate a sovereign state from the map,” he said.
The British ambassador to the United Nations, Dame Barbara Woodward, stated that Russia had failed both on the battlefield and at the United Nations, adding that countries had united to protect the organization’s mandate.
“Russia has self-isolated, but only Russia can end the pain. Now is the time to end the war “She stated,
Russia’s use of its veto authority to block action at the Security Council, the body tasked with ensuring international peace and security, precipitated the General Assembly vote. China, the United States, France, and the United Kingdom all have veto power as permanent members of the Security Council.
After the invasion of Ukraine, there have been calls for Russia to be stripped of its veto power.
