Status: 02/23/2023 10:04 p.m
141 members of the UN General Assembly voted in favor of a resolution to end the war in Ukraine and Russia’s withdrawal. Seven states voted against. 32 abstained.
Shortly before the first anniversary of the Russian attack on Ukraine, 141 of the 193 UN member states passed a resolution calling for an immediate Russian troop withdrawal.
Seven states voted against the text of the resolution at a special session of the UN General Assembly in New York – Belarus, North Korea, Eritrea, Mali, Nicaragua, Syria and Russia.
32 states abstained – among them, as in previous votes with China and India, two powerful states in which around 2.8 billion people live. The important countries Brazil, Turkey and Saudi Arabia voted in favor of the bill, while South Africa and Iran abstained. While almost all South American countries agreed, a number of African countries again abstained.
“Comprehensive, Just and Lasting Peace”
The resolution in the UN General Assembly contains the call for a “comprehensive, just and lasting peace” and Moscow’s withdrawal. The draft reaffirms a number of previously agreed positions of the body and, among other things, provides for the preservation of Ukraine’s territorial integrity.
Kiev and its supporters thus followed up on similar voting results from last year with more than 140 “yes” votes. With the clear result, they want to counteract the impression that there is war weariness and crumbling support for Ukraine in parts of the world. In March, shortly after the war began, the assembly had rejected Russia’s invasion by a majority of 141 of the 193 votes. In October, 143 nations condemned Moscow’s illegal annexations in Ukraine.
Global sentiment test against Russia’s war
The vote in the United Nations’ largest body is seen as a global mood test on Russia’s war of aggression. Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock (Greens) gave a speech before the vote in New York and called for a clear signal to Russia.
Resolution not legally binding
More than 50 states introduced the UN resolution. She advocates an end to Russia’s war of aggression, which marks its first anniversary tomorrow. The resolution of the UN General Assembly is not legally binding. That would be a UN Security Council resolution – but Russia can veto it here.