Russia vetoed a UNSC resolution condemning Russia’s aggression against Ukraine “in the harshest terms” and calling on the country’s soldiers to withdraw unconditionally from Ukrainian territory. The resolution was always doomed to fail because of Moscow’s veto power as a permanent member of the Security Council. However, given some members’ strategic cooperation with Russia, the debate and subsequent voting were significant.
“Let me make one thing clear. Russia, you can veto this resolution, but you cannot veto our voices, you cannot veto the truth, you cannot veto our principles, you cannot veto the Ukrainian people,” US Ambassador to the UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield said after the vote.
Eleven of the fifteen permanent and non-permanent members voted in favor of the resolution, which was co-authored by the United States and Albania, with three nations abstaining.
The text of the proposed resolution was watered down just hours before the vote in order to win more support.
A reference to Chapter 7 of the UN Charter was removed, and the phrase “condemns” was substituted with “deplores.” Members reiterated their support to Ukraine’s sovereignty, independence, unity, and territorial integrity within internationally recognized borders, and parties were urged to follow the Minsk agreements.
France, the United Kingdom, the United States, Albania, Brazil, Gabon, Ghana, Ireland, Kenya, Mexico, and Norway voted in favor of the proposal. China, India, and the United Arab Emirates were the only countries to vote no.
Zhang Jun, China’s permanent representative to the United Nations, reminded the Security Council that “all governments’ sovereignty and territorial integrity should be respected, and the UN Charter’s purposes and principles should be upheld.”
“One country’s security cannot be at the expense of the security of other countries…Ukraine should become a link between East and West,” Zhang added.
T S Tirumurti, India’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, called for an immediate end to violence and hostility and emphasized the importance of discussion to resolve differences and issues, no matter how difficult they may be.
Regrettably, the diplomatic option was abandoned. We must get back to it. “India has opted to abstain on this resolution for all of these reasons,” Tirumurti said in India’s explanation of vote in the Council.
Published By- Bharat Anand
Editor- Kritika Kashyap
