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Russia, as anticipated, vetoed a UN Safety Council decision on Friday that deplored “within the strongest phrases” the nation’s “aggression” in opposition to Ukraine and demanded the rapid withdrawal of its troops.
Eleven of the council’s 15 members voted for the movement, which was co-written by the USA and Albania. China, India and the United Arab Emirates abstained.
The decision was at all times doomed to fail due to Moscow’s veto energy as a everlasting member of the council.
Nonetheless the talk provided member nations a possibility to voice condemnation of President Vladimir Putin’s determination to launch a full-scale offensive in opposition to Russia’s neighbor.
“Let me make one factor clear,” US Ambassador to the UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield mentioned after the vote. “Russia, you may veto this decision, however you can not veto our voices, you can not veto the reality, you can not veto our ideas, you can not veto the Ukrainian individuals.”
The wording of the draft textual content put earlier than the Safety Council was watered down within the hours earlier than the vote to realize extra help.
The phrase “condemns” was changed by “deplores” and a reference to Chapter 7 of the UN Constitution, which permits members to take navy motion to revive peace, was deleted.
The decision reaffirmed the sovereignty of Ukraine and referred to as for Russia to “instantly stop its use of pressure in opposition to Ukraine.”
In the end, greater than 70 international locations co-sponsored the decision.
“Make no mistake, Russia is remoted. It has no help for the invasion of Ukraine,” mentioned Britain’s ambassador to the UN, Barbara Woodward.
Earlier than the vote, Thomas-Greenfield described Russia’s assault as “so daring, so brazen, that it threatens our worldwide system as we all know it.
“We now have a solemn obligation to not look away… On the very minimal, we’ve an obligation to object,” she mentioned.
“Vote sure in the event you imagine Russia must be held to account for its actions. Vote no or abstain if you don’t uphold the constitution and align yourselves with the aggressive and unprovoked actions of Russia.”
– Meeting vote –
Moscow’s UN envoy, Vassily Nebenzia, denounced the decision as “anti-Russian and anti-Ukrainian.”
“It’s tough for us to compete with the US by way of the variety of invasions carried out. You might be in no place to moralize,” he mentioned.
Ukrainian Ambassador Sergiy Kyslytsya led the council chamber in a second of silence, asking members to “pray for peace.” He additionally instructed Nebenzia to “pray for salvation.”
“Russia is eager on persevering with it’s Nazi-style plan of action,” mentioned Kyslytsya, whose speech was broadly applauded by members.
Earlier, he had posed with a Ukrainian flag and European ambassadors underneath Picasso’s Guernica tapestry which hangs outdoors the doorway to the council chamber.
Explaining his nation’s abstention, Chinese language Ambassador Zhang Jun referenced NATO growth, saying “Russia’s legit safety aspirations must be given consideration and addressed correctly.”
After the vote, UN Secretary-Basic Antonio Guterres mentioned: “Troopers have to return to their barracks.”
“Leaders want to show to the trail of dialogue and peace,” he pleaded.
Russia, which presently holds the rotating Safety Council presidency, will doubtless face one other vote on an analogous decision earlier than the broader UN Basic Meeting which is shaped of all 193 member international locations.
Moscow doesn’t have a veto there and the decision might be handed by a considerable margin, though it could be non-binding.
The Basic Meeting held an analogous vote in 2014 condemning Russia’s seizure of Crimea, which obtained 100 votes in help.
Moscow had earlier vetoed a Safety Council decision condemning its actions in Crimea. 13 international locations supported it with China abstaining.
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© Agence France-Presse
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