The UN General Assembly is due to vote this Wednesday (22), in New York, on a text that proposes to condemn the annexation of portions of Ukraine’s territory by Russia.
The motion was proposed by Kiev and is being analyzed in one of the emergency sessions to debate the conflict in force in Eastern Europe.
There are expectations about Brazil’s vote. The rejection or abstention on the part of the Brazilian mission could, in a certain way, give ammunition to arguments about the country’s supposed neutrality in the war.
In the last week of September, the Security Council, the highest collegiate of the United Nations, rejected a similar text, which would condemn the annexation, after a veto by Russia, of one of the five permanent members. Brazil, a rotating member, abstained on the occasion.
Moscow tried unsuccessfully to make voting in the General Assembly unusually secret. The country claimed that, with the pressure exerted by Western nations, it became difficult for smaller countries to exercise their positioning. At the time, Brazil was one of 107 countries that voted against the Russians.
Two weeks ago Russia formalized what is considered the biggest forced annexation of parts of Europe since World War II. After holding referendums without transparency, it absorbed what corresponds to the two self-proclaimed republics of Donbass (Donetsk and Lugansk), in the east, and the provinces of Zaporyjia and Kherson (south).
In response, Kiev formalized its application to join NATO, the western military alliance that appears at the center of Putin’s speeches to justify the invasion of neighboring territory in late February.
During speeches leading up to the vote in New York on Wednesday, diplomats made emphatic speeches against Moscow’s actions. There were still speeches critical of the UN itself. Croatia’s representation, for example, said the annexation shows the “weakness of our capabilities to protect countries, especially when the aggressor nation is a permanent member of the Security Council.”
There were also, however, demonstrations by Moscow allies, such as the Syrian dictatorship, which has Russian support in the civil war that is ravaging the country. The Syrian representation accused Western nations of manipulating space to the detriment of their economic interests. “They are promoting polarization among UN members with a speech hostile to Russia.”
From the point of view of international law, the referendums held by Moscow to give legal veneer to the annexation are illegitimate. Under the Ukrainian Constitution, such actions can only be carried out in the former Soviet republic if they are requested by at least 3 million people and convened by the Rada, the Parliament, and the president.
The measure contravenes the so-called basic text of international law: the UN Charter. The document reads: “All members shall avoid in their international relations the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or independence of any State.”
The practical expectation around the UN vote, however, is low. In 2014, after the Crimean peninsula was annexed by Russia, the General Assembly passed a motion, with a large majority, defending Ukraine’s territorial integrity and denouncing the annexation. Brazil then abstained. In practice, however, Vladimir Putin assimilated the peninsula without great difficulty.
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