The UN General Assembly approved this Wednesday (2) a resolution condemning the invasion of Ukraine by Russia, by 141 votes in favour, 5 against and 35 abstentions.
The votes against were from Belarus, North Korea, Eritrea, Russia and Syria. The group that abstained includes China, India, South Africa, Iran, Cuba, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Sudan and Uganda, among others.
The resolution was jointly proposed by 95 of the 193 countries of the collegiate. Brazil did not join the group of proponents, but voted in favor of the proposal.
The document condemns Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, reaffirms that no acquisition of territory by threat or use of force should be recognized as legal, and expresses grave concern at reports of attacks on civilians.
The resolution also reaffirms Ukraine’s independence and territorial integrity, deplores Russia’s aggression against the neighboring country in the strongest terms, and demands that Moscow withdraw its forces from Ukraine immediately. And deplores Belarus’ involvement in the conflict.
The General Assembly, however, cannot apply measures such as sanctions or sending peace missions. Only the Security Council has the authority to do so. This instance of the United Nations is made up of 15 countries, five of which have permanent seats with veto power and another ten in rotating seats — Brazil currently occupies a temporary position. As Russia is a permanent member of the body, it can bar measures against itself.
Thus, the resolution’s main function is to make it clear how other countries see Russia’s actions and to show its international isolation, much greater than in previous cases.
In 2014, the General Assembly also passed a resolution condemning Russia’s annexation of Crimea, until then part of Ukraine. That year, 100 countries supported the measure, 11 were against it and 58 abstained.
The current resolution was approved at an emergency meeting of the General Assembly, the 11th convened since the creation of the UN in 1945. The meeting began on Monday (28) and had speeches by more than 120 representatives.
In a final appeal before the vote, Sergei Kislitsia, Ukraine’s UN representative, again compared Russia’s actions with those of Nazi Germany. “They [soldados russos] came to solve what they call the ‘Ukrainian problem’. More than 80 years ago, another dictator tried to finally solve the ‘problem’ of another people. He spoke when the world responded in a united way,” Kislitsia said.
Asking for a vote against the resolution, the Russian representative said that most countries are under pressure from Western powers to take a stand against Russia, and he again accused the Ukrainian government of using civilians as a shield and of persecuting its own population.
“Voting against the resolution is voting for a Ukraine free from radicalism and neo-Nazism,” said Russian Ambassador Vasili Nebenzia.
In a speech on Monday (28), Brazil’s representative at the UN, Ronaldo Costa Filho, condemned the invasion and criticized the sending of more weapons to Ukraine. “In recent years, we have seen a progressive deterioration of the security situation and the balance of power in Eastern Europe. The weakening of the Minsk Accords by all parties and the discrediting of the security concerns voiced by Russia set the stage for the crisis. what we are seeing. Let me be clear, however: this situation does not justify the use of force against the territory of a member state.”
“We call on the actors involved to reassess their decisions regarding the supply of weapons, the use of digital attacks and the application of selective sanctions, including in the important area of ​​food security. We need constructive solutions, not actions that will prolong hostilities and spread conflict, with effects on the economy and world security,” he said.
On the occasion, Costa Filho asked the United Nations bodies to work together in search of solutions, as the crisis can have a much broader impact if it is not contained. “We are under a rapid escalation of tensions that could put all of humanity at risk. But we still have time to stop this.”
