For the fourth time in a year, a very large majority of member countries of the United Nations (UN) have expressed their opposition to the invasion of Ukraine by Russia. On the eve of the anniversary of the start of the conflict, the UN General Assembly voted on Thursday, February 23, a resolution demanding Thursday an immediate withdrawal of troops from Moscow.
To applause, the non-binding text garnered the votes of 141 of the 193 Member States, 7 voted against - Russia, Belarus, Syria, North Korea, Mali, Nicaragua, Eritrea - and 32 abstained, including the China and India. Similar support in October, when 143 countries condemned the annexations of several Ukrainian territories by Russia, five voting against.
“We got a victory (…). The world understands whose side the truth is,” said the head of the Ukrainian presidential administration, Andriy Yermak. And it's "much more than the West," Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba stressed.
"It is an overwhelming majority on the part of the international community which confirms its strong support for Ukraine, victim of Russian aggression", rejoiced, for his part, the head of European diplomacy, Josep Borrell .
"It's not just a piece of paper"
On Wednesday and Thursday, representatives from dozens of countries marched to the UN rostrum in support of Ukraine. And "we will support her for as long as it takes," British Foreign Minister James Cleverly tweeted, who will take part in a ministerial-level UN Security Council on Friday to mark the anniversary of the invasion.
General Assembly resolution reaffirms "commitment" to Ukraine's territorial integrity and "demands" that Russia "immediately, completely and unconditionally withdraw all military forces from Ukrainian territory within the borders internationally recognized territories", a reference to the territories annexed by Russia. It also calls for a "cessation of hostilities" and "stresses the need to achieve, as soon as possible, a comprehensive, just and lasting peace in Ukraine in accordance with the principles of the Charter of the United Nations".
For a year, while Russia has been using its right of veto to prevent any action in the Security Council on Ukraine, the General Assembly has taken over on this file. And even if its resolutions are non-binding, "it's not just a piece of paper", defended Josep Borrell.
"A year from now, we must not meet to mark the second anniversary of this senseless war of aggression," Japanese Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi said, hoping for a "peace summit" in 2024 instead. But “Russia shows no desire for peace (…). She knows no peace except that of silence, of the dead, and of ruins,” warned her French counterpart Catherine Colonna.
A "path to peace" which is nevertheless "very clear": "Russia must stop bombing", insisted the head of German diplomacy, Annalena Baerbock. "It's not peace when an abuser asks his victim to give up."
Beijing calls on Moscow and kyiv to "resume dialogue"
On Wednesday, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres slammed "the affront to our collective conscience" represented by the invasion of Ukraine, warning of the risks of "escalation" and nuclear risks.
But President Vladimir Putin vowed this week to "methodically" continue his offensive in Ukraine, in a speech with anti-Western rhetoric reminiscent of the Cold War. Its UN ambassador, Vassili Nebenzia, also lashed out at Westerners, accusing them of being "ready to plunge the whole world into the abyss of war" to "inflict a defeat" on Moscow.
In this context, China, which abstained again, promised to announce a "political solution" to the conflict soon this week. "Wars have no winners," Chinese Deputy Ambassador to the UN Dai Bing stressed. “A year later (…), the hard facts prove that sending arms will not bring peace,” he added. Beijing called on Moscow and Kyiv to "resume direct dialogue as soon as possible" for a "peaceful solution".
In a twelve-point document published on Friday, the Chinese government asks the two countries to avoid any attack against civilians, and takes a clear position against any use of nuclear weapons, while Russian President Vladimir Putin has brandished this threat.
