UN Votes For A Resolution To Condemn Russia’s Invasion Of Ukraine

By Khatia Bzhalava

Friday, March 4, 2022

141 of the 193 member states voted for the resolution, 35 abstained, and five voted against.

The resolution is not legally binding, however, it expresses the views of the UN membership and is aimed at increasing pressure on Moscow and its ally, Belarus.

The United Nations General Assembly on Wednesday voted for the “Aggression against Ukraine” resolution, demanding Russia to immediately cease the invasion of Ukraine, withdraw its forces, refrain from any further unlawful threat or use of force against any Member State and abide by the UN Charter and the Minsk agreements.

In an emergency session of the UN’s general assembly, 141 of the 193 member states, including Georgia, voted for the resolution, 35 abstained, and five voted against. The only countries along with Russia to vote no in support of Moscow were Belarus, North Korea, Eritrea, and Syria.

The resolution reads that the UN “deplores in the strongest terms the aggression by the Russian Federation against Ukraine.” It demands that “Russian Federation immediately, completely and unconditionally withdraw all of its military forces from the territory of Ukraine within its internationally recognized borders.” The resolution also demands that the Russian Federation immediately and unconditionally reverse the decision related to the status of certain areas of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions of Ukraine. The document deplores the involvement of Belarus in this unlawful use of force against Ukraine and calls upon it to abide by its international obligations.

Georgia’s Ambassador to the UN, Kakha Imnadze tweeted that “Georgia, whose 20% is occupied, knows well the face of war,” adding that the war must be stopped.

On March 2, the UK and 37 other countries, including Georgia, made a referral for the International Criminal Court (ICC) to probe alleged war crimes in Ukraine. The UK government describes the referral as the largest in the history of the ICC. “We are crystal clear that Putin cannot commit these horrific acts with impunity,” British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said. On Wednesday, ICC Prosecutor, Karim A.A. Khan, announced the opening of an investigation into alleged war crimes committed so far during the ongoing conflict.