Russia has vetoed a UN decision that might have condemned its referendums in 4 Ukrainian areas as unlawful, declared that they’re invalid and urged all nations to not recognise any annexation of the territory claimed by Moscow.
he vote within the 15-member Safety Council was 10-1 with China, India, Brazil and Gabon abstaining.
The decision would even have demanded a direct halt to Russia’s “full-scale illegal invasion of Ukraine” and the quick and unconditional withdrawal of all its navy forces from Ukraine.
US ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield mentioned earlier than the vote that within the occasion of a Russian veto, the US and Albania who sponsored the decision will take it to the 193-member Common Meeting the place there aren’t any vetoes, “and present that the world remains to be on the aspect of sovereignty and defending territorial integrity”.
That’s prone to occur subsequent week.
Britain’s UN ambassador, Barbara Woodward, echoed secretary-general Antonio Guterres’ assertion that Russia’s actions violate the UN Constitution and should be condemned.
“The world Russia is claiming to annex is greater than 90,000 sq. kilometres,” she mentioned. “That is the most important forcible annexation of territory for the reason that Second World Conflict. There isn’t any center floor on this.”
The council vote got here hours after a lavish Kremlin ceremony the place President Vladimir Putin signed treaties to annex the Russian-occupied Ukrainian areas of Luhansk, Donetsk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia, saying they had been now a part of Russia and can be defended by Moscow.
Ms Thomas-Greenfield mentioned the outcomes of the “sham” referendums on whether or not the areas needed to affix Russia had been “pre-determined in Moscow, and all people is aware of it”.
“They had been held behind the barrel of Russian weapons,” she mentioned.
Including that “the sacred ideas of sovereignty and territorial integrity” on the coronary heart of the UN Constitution should be defended, she mentioned: “All of us perceive the implications for our personal borders, our personal economies, and our personal nations if these ideas are tossed apart.
“Putin miscalculated the resolve of the Ukrainians. The Ukrainian individuals have demonstrated loud and clear: They may by no means settle for being subjugated to Russian rule.”
Putin miscalculated the resolve of the Ukrainians. The Ukrainian individuals have demonstrated loud and clear: They may by no means settle for being subjugated to Russian ruleLinda Thomas-Greenfield
Russian ambassador Vassily Nebenzia defended the referendums, claiming that greater than 100 worldwide observers from Italy, Germany, Venezuela and Latvia who noticed the voting recognised the outcomes as reliable.
“The outcomes of the referendums converse for themselves. The residents of those areas don’t need to return to Ukraine. They’ve made an knowledgeable and free selection in favour of our nation,” he mentioned.
Mr Nebenzia added: “There shall be no turning again as at the moment’s draft decision would attempt to impose.”
He accused Western nations on the council of “overtly hostile actions”, saying they reached “a brand new low” by placing ahead a decision condemning a council member and forcing a Russian veto to allow them to “wax lyrical”.
Beneath a decision adopted earlier this yr, Russia should defend its veto earlier than the Common Meeting within the coming weeks.
Chinese language ambassador Zhang Jun mentioned that “the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all nations needs to be safeguarded”. However China abstained, he mentioned, as a result of it believes the Safety Council needs to be making an attempt to calm the disaster “somewhat than intensifying conflicts and exacerbating confrontation”.
Brazil’s ambassador, Ronaldo Costa Filho, mentioned the referendums “can’t be perceived as reliable” and his nation stands by the precept of territorial integrity of sovereign states.
But it surely abstained as a result of the decision didn’t contribute to de-escalating tensions and discovering “an answer for the battle in Ukraine”.
