New York: “The world has spoken” – UN condemns Putin’s annexations

With a historic majority, the world community has condemned Russia’s illegal annexations of Ukraine and declared them null and void. 143 of the 193 members of the UN General Assembly voted in favor of a corresponding resolution in New York Wednesday – 5 countries voted against, 35 abstained. Only Belarus, North Korea, Nicaragua and Syria voted together with Russia. Although the decision is not binding under international law, it is considered a strong political signal and reveals Moscow’s international isolation.

The resolution passed on Wednesday condemns and invalidates the annexation of Russia. In addition, the Kremlin is being asked to cancel the incorporation of the partially occupied regions of Luhansk, Donetsk, Zaporizhia and Cherson. In late September, Kremlin head Vladimir Putin announced the annexation after several bogus referendums.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky celebrated the decision as a historic one: “The world has spoken: the attempted annexation of Russia is futile and will never be recognized by free nations,” he wrote on Twitter. The German representation of the United Nations wrote: “The international community has united to defend the Charter of the United Nations. Unlike Russia, Ukraine is not alone. “US Ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield spoke of a” monumental day for the United Nations “.

The result was even better than the General Assembly’s 141 votes to condemn the Russian invasion of Ukraine in March – and also the 100 votes for a similar resolution after the annexation of Crimea in 2014. Also Brazil, Turkey and Saudi Arabia they voted in favor of the resolution. With China and India, on the other hand, two powerful states with a population of about 2.8 billion abstained. None of the former Soviet republics voted with Moscow. Meanwhile, more than a dozen African countries have abstained.

In the emergency session of the General Assembly, which began on Monday, diplomats from dozens of countries warned that every member country of the United Nations must have a personal interest in condemning Russia. «Today it is Russia that invades Ukraine. But tomorrow could be another nation whose territory is violated. It might be you. They could be next, “said US Ambassador Thomas-Greenfield. Likewise, Germany expressed:” The sovereign equality and territorial integrity of each of us would be at the mercy of our neighbors. “