On the eve of the anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the UN General Assembly on Thursday 23 February demanded an “immediate” withdrawal of Russian troops and called for a “just and lasting” peace. . The non-binding resolution garnered 141 votes in favor, seven against, and 32 countries abstained, including China and India. the countries that voted against are Russia, Belarus, Syria, North Korea, Mali, Nicaragua and Eritrea. Similar support in October, when 143 countries condemned Russia’s annexation of several Ukrainian territories, with five voting against.
Since Wednesday, representatives from dozens of countries have marched to the UN rostrum in support of Ukraine while Kyiv has urged members of the international community to choose between “good and evil”.
The adopted resolution reaffirms “commitment” to “the territorial integrity of Ukraine” and “demands” that Russia “immediately, completely and unconditionally withdraw all its military forces from Ukrainian territory within internationally recognized borders of the country”, 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 issue. And even if its resolutions are non-binding, “it’s not just a piece of paper”, defended the head of European diplomacy Josep Borrell on Thursday, February 23, seeing it as a reflection of the concerns of the international community.
“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” instead. in 2024. 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.” On Wednesday at the opening of this special session, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres castigated him “the affront to our collective conscience” represented by the invasion of Ukraine. “The possible consequences of the escalation of the conflict are a clear danger and already there,” he warned, referring in particular to 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. His UN ambassador Vassili Nebenzia also lashed out at Westerners, accusing them, “in their desire to inflict defeat on Russia”, of being “ready to plunge the whole world into the abyss of war”. “.
This war is not a question of “the West against Russia”, replied Josep Borrell. “This illegal war concerns everyone: North, South, East and West.” It is even a “global war”, but “not a world war”, he commented, pointing out the cascading impacts on the entire planet.
In this context, China, which once again abstained, promised to make public this week a “political solution”, elements of which it presented to kyiv and Moscow. “Wars have no winner,” said Chinese Deputy Ambassador to the UN Dai Bing. “A year after the start of the Ukrainian crisis, the hard facts prove that sending weapons will not bring peace,” he added, calling on Kyiv and Moscow “to resume dialogue as quickly as possible.”
The three previous resolutions related to Russian aggression passed by the General Assembly over the past year had received between 140 and 143 votes in favour, with a handful of countries systematically voting against (Russia, Belarus, Syria, North Korea) and less than 40 abstaining. A slightly different fourth in April, which suspended Russia from the Human Rights Council, was less consensual (93 votes for, 24 against, 58 abstentions).
