Politics
UN General Assembly overwhelmingly votes to censure Russia
The measure was ultimately passed with 141 in favor and 35 nations abstaining – and was voted against by Russia, Belarus, North Korea, Eritrea and Syria
March 2, 2022 12:54pm
Updated: March 2, 2022 3:59pm
At the conclusion of a rare emergency session called by the United Nations Security Council, the General Assembly voted on Wednesday to censure Russia over its illegal invasion of Ukraine and demand that the Kremlin cease all fighting and withdraw its military forces from the territory of its southern neighbor.
The historic resolution, co-sponsored by 94 of the body’s 193 member countries, affirmed that the U.N. “deplores in the strongest terms the aggression by the Russian Federation against Ukraine” and demanded that “the Russian Federation immediately cease its use of force against Ukraine” and “immediately, completely and unconditionally withdraw all of its military forces."
The measure was ultimately passed with 141 in favor and 35 nations abstaining – and was voted against by Russia, Belarus, North Korea, Eritrea and Syria, Reuters reported.
A similar resolution was vetoed by Russia in the 15-member security council on Friday.
"We believe this is a simple vote," U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Linda Thomas-Greenfield told reporters on Wednesday. "Vote yes if you believe you in member states, including your own, have a right to sovereignty and territorial integrity. Vote yes if you believe Russia should be held to account for his actions. Vote yes if you believe in upholding the U.N. Charter and everything this institution stands for."
Although the resolution is not legally binding, it does show that the international community stands behind Ukraine and serves to increase pressure on Moscow to cease hostilities.
According to The Guardian, the resolution represents the first time in 40 years that the security council has referred a crisis to the assembly and was brought to the floor under a “uniting for peace” resolution, in which global threats are referred to the assembly “if the security council, because of lack of unanimity of the permanent members, fails to exercise its primary responsibility to act as required to maintain international peace and security.”
