NY.- The United Nations General Assembly approved a non-binding resolution calling on Russia to end hostility in Ukraine and demand the withdrawal of its troops, sending a strong message on the eve of the anniversary that Moscow’s aggression must finish.
The 141-7 vote, with 32 abstentions, was slightly below the highest vote for the previous five resolutions, passed by all 193 members since Russian troops and tanks crossed the border into their small neighbor on February 24. , from 2022.
Among the countries that voted in favor is Mexico.
The General Assembly has become the most important UN body dealing with Ukraine because the Security Council, which is charged with maintaining international peace and security, is paralyzed by Russia’s veto power. Its resolutions are not legally binding, like those of the Security Council, but they serve as a barometer of world opinion.
Foreign ministers and diplomats from more than 75 countries addressed the assembly during two days of debate, with many urging support for the resolution upholding Ukraine’s territorial integrity, a basic principle of the UN Charter to which all Countries must sign up when they join the global organization.
The war has killed tens of thousands on both sides and reduced entire cities to ruins, and its impact has been felt around the world, with rising food and fuel costs as well as soaring inflation.
In his appeal, Polish Foreign Minister Zbigniew Rau said Ukrainians deserve “not just compassion, but support and solidarity.”
Annalena Baerbock, Germany’s Foreign Minister, asked countries who claimed that “arming Ukraine is adding oil to the fire” why Western nations would do that.
“The West does not want or choose war and would rather focus all its attention and money on fixing schools, fighting the climate crisis or strengthening social justice,” he told the Assembly. “But the truth is: if Russia stops fighting, the war is over. If Ukraine does, it would be the end of it.”
The Deputy Ambassador of Venezuela spoke on behalf of 16 countries that either voted against or abstained from past resolutions in Ukraine: Belarus, Bolivia, Cambodia, China, Cuba, Eritrea, Equatorial Guinea, Iran, Laos, Mali, Nicaragua , North Korea, Saint Vincent, Syria, Venezuela and Zimbabwe.
While other countries focused on Russia’s actions, Deputy Ambassador Joaquín Pérez Ayestarán said that all countries without exception “must strictly comply with the Charter of the United Nations.”
He said the countries in his group were in control of what he called a divisive action in the General Assembly.
China’s Deputy Ambassador Dai Bing said:
“We support Russia and Ukraine in moving towards each other, resuming direct dialogue as soon as possible, bringing their legitimate concerns to negotiation, establishing workable options, and giving early resolution of the crisis and reconstruction of the peace. The international community should make a concerted effort to facilitate these talks.”
But the European Union’s foreign policy chief, Josep Borrel, told reporters that the assailant and the victim could not be put on equal terms and that Ukraine could not be asked not to defend itself.
“Russia has not sent any possible signal of any willingness to work for peace.”
