Thursday, February 23, 2023 | 9:32 p.m.
The UN General Assembly on Thursday approved a non-binding resolution demanding Russia “immediate withdrawal” of its troops from Ukraine, in a strong message on the eve of the first anniversary of the invasion, while Russian President Vladimir Putin , promised to increase military production and his Ukrainian counterpart, Volodimir Zelensky, assured that his country would “triumph” and the United States anticipated more sanctions on Moscow.
With 141 votes in favor, 7 against (including Russia, Belarus and North Korea) and 32 abstentions, the resolution adopted on the first anniversary of the Russian invasion calls for a “cessation of hostilities” and “emphasizes the need to achieve a comprehensive, just and lasting peace in Ukraine as soon as possible,” the AFP news agency reported.
The General Assembly is effectively the most important UN body dealing with Ukraine because the Security Council, charged with maintaining international peace and security, is paralyzed by Russia’s veto power.
Its resolutions are not legally binding, unlike 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 that all countries must sign upon joining the world organization.
Earlier, Putin promised to increase military production to maintain the offensive in Ukraine and anticipated the commissioning this year of his latest model of intercontinental ballistic missiles, the Sarmat, a system that would have experienced some failures, according to US sources.
“We pay particular attention, as always, to the reinforcement of the nuclear triad. This year, the first launchers of the Sarmat missile system will be put into service,” the Russian leader said in a video published on the occasion of Defenders of the Homeland.
On Tuesday, in a highly anticipated annual speech, Putin had announced the commissioning of other nuclear systems without specifying which ones and the suspension of Russia’s participation in the New Smart treaty, the last bilateral nuclear disarmament agreement with the United States, he recalled. AFP.
The Sarmat was described by Putin in April as a missile capable of “destroying all anti-aircraft systems” and has an almost unlimited range, the president said on several occasions.
However, according to CNN, which quotes US officials on condition of anonymity, the latest Sarmat trial failed this week.
For his part, Zelensky said Thursday that his country would “triumph” over Russian forces.
“We have not collapsed, we have recovered from many tests and we will triumph. We will hold accountable those who brought this evil, this war, to our land,” Zelensky threatened in a message posted on social networks.
Friday will mark one year since Russian troops entered Donbass, the pro-Russian region in eastern Ukraine, whose population has been repressed by the Kiev regime since 2014, according to Russian complaints and data collected by the UN.
