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The General Assembly of the international entity categorically rejected the referendums promoted by Moscow in four Ukrainian regions and asked the international community not to recognize them. The vote, which also claimed that the sovereignty of these territories belongs to Ukraine, had three quarters in favor. Four countries spoke against it and thirty abstained. The Russian ambassador in the Chamber assured that the opinion was “politicized” and called it “provocative”.
The repercussions of Russia’s expansionist intentions continue to reverberate in the international arena. Much more so after this Wednesday, October 12, the United Nations General Assembly strongly dismissed the “illegal annexation attempt” that Russia carried out in the two provinces of Donbass, and in the regions of Kherson and Zaporizhia.
At the session, 143 countries voted in favor of the motion against Moscow’s “coercive” referendums and the reaffirmation of Ukraine’s independence and territorial integrity within its internationally recognized borders.
While another 35 abstained in the decision, China standing out, Russia’s strongest strategic partner. While only North Korea, Belarus, Nicaragua and Syria spoke against it along with the Kremlin delegate.
The resolution of the international rejection pressures Moscow to roll back the modifications on the status of the four Ukrainian territories and to withdraw its troops from them.
The General Assembly notes that the referendums “have no validity under international law and do not serve as a basis to modify in any way the status of those regions of Ukraine.”
Russia and the US face interests; China abstains
The US ambassador, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, was one of the members who most supported the proposal in the session. “Today it is Russia that invades Ukraine, but tomorrow it could be another country whose territory is violated. What would you expect from this camera?” she emphasized.
For his part, Russia’s ambassador to the UN, Vassily Nebenzia, denounced to his counterparts that this vote was highly “politicized” and “openly provocative.” “It can destroy all efforts for a diplomatic solution to the crisis,” he warned.
Beijing, a power close to Russia, but which does not openly support or repudiate the invasion of Ukraine, positioned itself as a third variant. Diplomat Geng Shuang did not consider the resolution to be productive.
The Chinese official stated that “any action taken by the General Assembly must be conducive to defusing the situation, resuming dialogue and promoting a political solution to the crisis.”
Developing countries, in the midst of the geopolitical bid between the West and Moscow
These results come after days of meetings by Washington and Moscow seeking allies for their sides. For example, the United States Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, held virtual conclaves with more than 100 international representatives.
In this context, dozens of countries in Africa, Asia and Latin America were concerned that they would end up trapped in the middle of the geopolitical struggle between the West and Moscow.
Among the prominent voices that expressed “critical support” for the resolution, the ambassador of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Georges Nzongola-Ntalaja, stands out. The Congolese said that his country supports Ukraine and that they want an end to the war, but that he “deplores” the double standard of the “powerful when it comes to Africa.”
“We would like to see the international community take similar action against other situations in the world where countries are being invaded and occupied,” he stressed.
With EFE and Reuters
