UN votes to demand that Russia stop war

India abstained from the vote, making it the fifth time this week that it has done so for a vote related to the Ukraine conflict on a UN platform.

In a historic resolution, backed by 141 of its 193 members, the United Nations General Assembly on Wednesday “deplored in the strongest terms” Russia’s aggression in Ukraine, reaffirmed its commitment to the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine, and demanded Russia “immediate cease its use of force” and “completely and unconditionally” withdraw all its troops from Ukraine’s internationally recognised borders.

Demonstrators in support of Ukraine in Tbilsi.

Only five countries — Russia, Belarus, Eritrea, North Korea, and Syria — voted against the resolution, and 35 abstained.

India abstained from the vote on the resolution titled On aggression against Ukraine. India’s permanent representative to the UN, TS Tirumurti, on Monday, had called for a return to the diplomatic path, while emphasising India’s commitment to the UN charter, international law, and respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity of all states. This is the fifth time that India has abstained from a Ukraine-related vote on a UN platform, and the fourth in less than a week.

The UNGA resolution “condemned” Russia’s decision on February 24 to launch a “special military operation” in Ukraine, saying that no territorial acquisition from the threat or use or force would be recognised as “legal”

It expressed “grave concern” over reports of attacks on civilian facilities, and recognised that Russia’s military operations inside Ukraine were “on a scale” that the international community had not seen in Europe in decades and urgent action was needed to “save this generation from the scourge of war”. It also “condemned” Russia’s decision to increase the readiness of its nuclear forces.

The resolution expressed “grave concern” at the deteriorating humanitarian situation and about the potential impact of the conflict on food security globally, demanding that all parties “allow safe and unfettered passage to destinations outside of Ukraine and to facilitate the rapid and unhindered access to humanitarian assistance” for those in need in Ukraine.

The resolution deplored Russia’s decision on the status of the “Donetsk and Luhansk regions of Ukraine” – Moscow had last week recognised the two provinces as independent republics – and demanded that Russia “immediately and unconditionally reverse the decision”. It also deplored the role of Belarus in the “unlawful use of force against Ukraine”.

Calling for an “immediate peaceful resolution” of the conflict through “political dialogue, negotiations, mediation and other peaceful means”, the UNGA resolution called upon Russia to abide by principles of the UN Charter, called upon all parties to abide by the Minsk agreement (the peace framework to resolve the conflict in eastern Ukraine signed in 2014 and 2015), and supported attempts at de-escalation of the current situation