The United Nations General Assembly overwhelmingly voted to reprimand Russia for invading Ukraine and demanded that Moscow stop fighting and withdraw its military forces, an action that aims to diplomatically isolate Russia at the world body.
The text of the resolution deplores Russia's "aggression against Ukraine." The last time the Security Council convened an emergency session of the General Assembly was in 1982, according to the U.N. website.
The resolution required a 2/3 majority to be adopted in the General Assembly.
141 out of 193 member countries voted in favor of the resolution while 35 countries abstained including China and India. North Korea, Syria, Belarus, and Russia also voted against the resolution.
While General Assembly resolutions are non-binding, they carry political weight, with Wednesday's vote representing a symbolic victory for Ukraine and increasing Moscow's international isolation. Even Russia's traditional ally Serbia voted against it.
"As 141 member states of the United Nations know, more is at stake even than the conflict in Ukraine itself. This is a threat to the security of Europe and the entire rules-based order," U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken told reporters after the vote.
U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield told the assembly that Russia was poised to intensify the brutality of its offensive and urged members to hold Moscow accountable for its violations of international law.
Russia's U.N. envoy, Vassily Nebenzia, denied Moscow was targeting civilians and accused Western governments of pressuring assembly members to pass the resolution, whose adoption he said could fuel further violence.
He repeated Russia’s assertion its action was a special military operation aimed at ending purported attacks on civilians in the self-declared Moscow-backed republics of Donetsk and Luhansk in eastern Ukraine.
India’s permanent representative to the UN, T.S. Tirumurti, chose to do what India has always done traditionally whenever it was expected to take a stance against Russia.
"We remain firm in our conviction that differences can only be solved through dialogue and diplomacy," Tirumurti said. "We express our deepest condolences to his family and to that of each and every innocent civilian who has lost his or her life in this conflict."
Elaborating on China’s abstention, Beijing’s envoy, Zhang Jun, said the resolution did not undergo “full consultations with the whole membership” of the assembly.
"Nor does it take full consideration of the history and complexity of the current crisis. It does not highlight the importance of the principle of indivisible security or the urgency of promoting political settlement and stepping up diplomatic efforts,” he said. “These are not in line with China’s consistent positions.”
The resolution was co-sponsored by nearly a hundred member states which were titled "Aggression against Ukraine".
The text of the resolution deplores Russia's "aggression against Ukraine." The last time the Security Council convened an emergency session of the General Assembly was in 1982, according to the U.N. website.
The resolution required a 2/3 majority to be adopted in the General Assembly.
141 out of 193 member countries voted in favor of the resolution while 35 countries abstained including China and India. North Korea, Syria, Belarus, and Russia also voted against the resolution.
While General Assembly resolutions are non-binding, they carry political weight, with Wednesday's vote representing a symbolic victory for Ukraine and increasing Moscow's international isolation. Even Russia's traditional ally Serbia voted against it.
"As 141 member states of the United Nations know, more is at stake even than the conflict in Ukraine itself. This is a threat to the security of Europe and the entire rules-based order," U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken told reporters after the vote.
U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield told the assembly that Russia was poised to intensify the brutality of its offensive and urged members to hold Moscow accountable for its violations of international law.
Russia's U.N. envoy, Vassily Nebenzia, denied Moscow was targeting civilians and accused Western governments of pressuring assembly members to pass the resolution, whose adoption he said could fuel further violence.
He repeated Russia’s assertion its action was a special military operation aimed at ending purported attacks on civilians in the self-declared Moscow-backed republics of Donetsk and Luhansk in eastern Ukraine.
India’s permanent representative to the UN, T.S. Tirumurti, chose to do what India has always done traditionally whenever it was expected to take a stance against Russia.
"We remain firm in our conviction that differences can only be solved through dialogue and diplomacy," Tirumurti said. "We express our deepest condolences to his family and to that of each and every innocent civilian who has lost his or her life in this conflict."
Elaborating on China’s abstention, Beijing’s envoy, Zhang Jun, said the resolution did not undergo “full consultations with the whole membership” of the assembly.
"Nor does it take full consideration of the history and complexity of the current crisis. It does not highlight the importance of the principle of indivisible security or the urgency of promoting political settlement and stepping up diplomatic efforts,” he said. “These are not in line with China’s consistent positions.”
The resolution was co-sponsored by nearly a hundred member states which were titled "Aggression against Ukraine".
