The General Assembly of the United Nations adopted, on Wednesday 2 March, a resolution which “demands that Russia immediately stop using force against Ukraine”, in a vote overwhelmingly approved by 141 countries, five opposing it and thirty-five, including China, abstaining, out of the 193 members of the international organization. The five countries that voted against are Russia, Belarus, North Korea, Eritrea and Syria.
The resolution, passed after more than two days of debates and interventions, demands that Russia “withdraw immediately, completely and unconditionally all its military forces” from Ukraine and “condemns Russia’s decision to step up the alert of its nuclear forces”.
In addition to North America and Europe, the resolution received a favorable vote from many African states and a large majority of Latin American countries. China, India and Pakistan abstained.
The resolution at the General Assembly was inspired by a text rejected last week at the UN Security Council due to a veto posed by Russia. It is not legally binding, but has a major political impact.
Our selection of articles on the war in Ukraine