United Nations
Global sentiment test: voting on annexations of Russia
The UN General Assembly will vote today on a resolution on the annexations of Russia. photo
© John Minchillo/AP/dpa
Russia’s referendums and the incorporation of several regions in Ukraine violate international law – but how much support will a corresponding resolution receive from the UN General Assembly?
The international community is scheduled to vote at the United Nations on Wednesday about the illegal Russian annexation of Ukraine – the vote is also seen as a global mood test on Moscow’s war of aggression in the neighboring country. The UN General Assembly is scheduled to vote on a corresponding resolution in the afternoon (local time) – on Thursday night in Europe. This condemns Russia’s annexation and declares it invalid. In addition, the Kremlin is asked to reverse the incorporation of the partially occupied regions of Luhansk, Donetsk, Zaporizhia and Cherson.
Although the decision is expected to be broadly approved and passed in the largest UN body, the text will have to be measured against two previous results: In March, the assembly with its 193 members rejected Russia’s invasion with a historic majority of 141 votes. In 2014, following Russia’s annexation of Crimea, 100 member states committed to a resolution emphasizing Ukraine’s territorial integrity.
Number of Ukraine supporters is declining
Procedural votes on Monday coincide with diplomats’ assessment that the number of Ukraine supporters will fall compared to March. At that time, under the impression of the beginning of the war, a different mood prevailed, the “wound was still fresh,” said a diplomat. Today, approval from more than 120 states would be a good result. Wednesday’s resolution, prepared by the European Union’s representation, will be adopted if it receives at least two-thirds of the votes of all countries voting “yes” or “no”.
American Ambassador to the UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield once again urged member states to defend international law: “It’s not about competition between Russia and the United States. It’s not about taking sides,” she said. “It’s about defending the UN Charter.”
Western diplomats stressed that each UN member country must have a self-interest in condemning Russia, lest it itself become a victim of an illegal annexation by a neighbor. On the other hand, observers have been seeing war fatigue in a number of countries, especially in Africa and Latin America, for some time now.