The UN General Assembly on Wednesday voted overwhelmingly to condemn Russia’s “attempted illegal annexation” of four Ukrainian regions and demand its immediate reversal, a sign of strong global opposition to the seven-month war and Moscow’s attempt to grab its neighbor’s territory.
The vote in the 193-member world body was 143 to five, with 35 abstentions. It was the strongest support from the General Assembly for Ukraine and against Russia of the four resolutions it has approved since Russian troops invaded Ukraine on Feb. 24.
Ukrainian Ambassador to the UN Sergiy Kyslytsya called the vote “amazing” and “historic.”
Photo: AP
US Ambassador to the UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield said supporters were “holding our breaths” and called it “a monumental day.”
EU Ambassador to the UN Olof Skoog called it “a great success” that sends “a resounding message to Russia that they are and remain isolated.”
US President Joe Biden said in a statement that the vote demonstrated that the world “is more united and more determined than ever to hold Russia accountable for its violations.”
It is “a clear message” that “Russia cannot erase a sovereign state from the map” and it “cannot change borders by force,” he said.
The Western-sponsored resolution was a response to Russia’s announced annexation last month of Ukraine’s Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions. Moscow acted following Kremlin-orchestrated “referendums” that the Ukrainian government and the West have dismissed as sham votes conducted on occupied land amid warfare and displacement.
During two days of speeches at the assembly’s resumed emergency special session on Ukraine, many speakers said that Russia had contravened respect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all UN member nations, a key principle of the UN Charter.
There was intense lobbying by supporters of the EU-facilitated resolution ahead of Wednesday’s vote.
Thomas-Greenfield told the assembly before the vote that when the UN was established on the ashes of World War II, it was built on the idea “that never again would one country be allowed to take another’s territory by force.”
Afterward, she said the vote means “that in the eyes of the world and the United Nations, Ukraine’s borders remain the same.”
“The resolution also sends an enormously important signal to Moscow and to everyone: It does not matter if you as a nation are big or small, rich or poor, old or new. If you are a UN member state, your borders are your own and are protected by international law,” Thomas-Greenfield said.
A key issue for the resolution’s Western backers was how many countries would support it, and the result went beyond their most optimistic expectations.
Among the surprise supporters of Wednesday’s resolution were Brazil, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and other members of the Gulf Cooperation Council.
Russian Ambassador to the UN Vassily Nebenzia appealed to countries to vote against the resolution, calling it “a politicized and openly provocative document” and denounced its sponsors as “unscrupulous Western blackmailers.”
He expressed regret that the vote was not by secret ballot, as Russia sought.
Nebenzia reiterated Russia’s claims the referendums were valid, saying “the populations of these regions do not want to return to Ukraine.”
The four countries that joined Russia in voting against the resolution were North Korea, Belarus, Syria and Nicaragua.
Kyslytsya expressed profound regret that the four countries made “the wrong choice against the UN Charter” and urged them to reconsider their commitment to the UN’s principles.
Among the 35 countries that abstained, 19 were from Africa, including South Africa. China and India, the world’s two most populous countries, also abstained, along with Pakistan and Cuba.
The powerful UN Security Council, whose resolutions are legally binding, has been stymied on taking action on Ukraine because of Russia’s veto power, which it used Sept. 29 to block condemnation of Russia’s attempts to annex Ukrainian territory.
By contrast, the UN General Assembly, where there are no vetoes, has now approved four resolutions criticizing Russia over Ukraine. Its votes reflect world opinion, but are not legally binding.
The resolution adopted Wednesday declares that Moscow’s actions contravene Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, are “inconsistent” with the principles of the UN Charter, and “have no validity under international law and do not form the basis for any alternation of the status of these regions of Ukraine.”
It demands that Russia “immediately, completely and unconditionally withdraw all of its military forces from the territory of Ukraine within its internationally recognized borders.”
It also supports “the de-escalation of the current situation and a peaceful resolution of the conflict through political dialogue, negotiation, mediation and other peaceful means” that respect Ukraine’s sovereignty, territorial integrity and internationally recognized borders.
Many countries among the more than 70 speakers urged a negotiated end to the war. The EU’s Skoog called the appeal for a peaceful solution “very important,” but said it must be based on Ukraine’s territorial integrity.
US President Donald Trump yesterday announced sweeping "reciprocal tariffs" on US trading partners, including a 32 percent tax on goods from Taiwan that is set to take effect on Wednesday. At a Rose Garden event, Trump declared a 10 percent baseline tax on imports from all countries, with the White House saying it would take effect on Saturday. Countries with larger trade surpluses with the US would face higher duties beginning on Wednesday, including Taiwan (32 percent), China (34 percent), Japan (24 percent), South Korea (25 percent), Vietnam (46 percent) and Thailand (36 percent). Canada and Mexico, the two largest US trading
AIR SUPPORT: The Ministry of National Defense thanked the US for the delivery, adding that it was an indicator of the White House’s commitment to the Taiwan Relations Act Deputy Minister of National Defense Po Horng-huei (柏鴻輝) and Representative to the US Alexander Yui on Friday attended a delivery ceremony for the first of Taiwan’s long-awaited 66 F-16C/D Block 70 jets at a Lockheed Martin Corp factory in Greenville, South Carolina. “We are so proud to be the global home of the F-16 and to support Taiwan’s air defense capabilities,” US Representative William Timmons wrote on X, alongside a photograph of Taiwanese and US officials at the event. The F-16C/D Block 70 jets Taiwan ordered have the same capabilities as aircraft that had been upgraded to F-16Vs. The batch of Lockheed Martin
China's military today said it began joint army, navy and rocket force exercises around Taiwan to "serve as a stern warning and powerful deterrent against Taiwanese independence," calling President William Lai (賴清德) a "parasite." The exercises come after Lai called Beijing a "foreign hostile force" last month. More than 10 Chinese military ships approached close to Taiwan's 24 nautical mile (44.4km) contiguous zone this morning and Taiwan sent its own warships to respond, two senior Taiwanese officials said. Taiwan has not yet detected any live fire by the Chinese military so far, one of the officials said. The drills took place after US Secretary
THUGGISH BEHAVIOR: Encouraging people to report independence supporters is another intimidation tactic that threatens cross-strait peace, the state department said China setting up an online system for reporting “Taiwanese independence” advocates is an “irresponsible and reprehensible” act, a US government spokesperson said on Friday. “China’s call for private individuals to report on alleged ‘persecution or suppression’ by supposed ‘Taiwan independence henchmen and accomplices’ is irresponsible and reprehensible,” an unnamed US Department of State spokesperson told the Central News Agency in an e-mail. The move is part of Beijing’s “intimidation campaign” against Taiwan and its supporters, and is “threatening free speech around the world, destabilizing the Indo-Pacific region, and deliberately eroding the cross-strait status quo,” the spokesperson said. The Chinese Communist Party’s “threats
RSS