On Wednesday, US Vice President Joe Biden praised the UNGA for passing a resolution denouncing Russia’s takeover of four areas of Ukraine.
In a statement issued by the White House, Biden noted that “today, the overwhelming majority of the world—nations from every region, large and small, representing a wide range of ideologies and governments—voted to defend the United Nations Charter and condemn Russia’s illegal attempt to annex Ukrainian territory by force.
Even more than the 141 countries who voted in March to unambiguously condemn Russia’s assault on Ukraine, 143 nations “stood on the side of freedom, sovereignty, and territorial integrity,” he said.
Biden’s speech was made just after 143 of the assembly’s 193 members voted in favor of the measure. 35 nations, including India, refrained from voting, while five countries did.
According to the US president, Russia is eroding the primary basis of world peace and security.
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“Everyone understands the implications of this confrontation, and in reaction, the world has made it plain that Russia cannot remove a sovereign state off the globe. Russian borders cannot be redrawn with force. Russia cannot claim the land of another nation as its own “Added he.
After over eight months of fighting, Biden said that the world has just shown that it is more unified and committed than ever to hold Russia responsible for its transgressions.
“We will not put up with forcible land theft from a neighbor or unlawful annexation efforts, along with the UN General Assembly. We will defend international law, the UN Charter, and the rights and safeguards it grants to the people of Ukraine and to all other states and peoples worldwide, ” he said.
The UNGA resolution, approved by the members without veto power, denounces Russia for its “attempted unlawful annexations” of the four regions of Ukraine after “so-called referendums.”
This week, this vote was held two days after a confrontation between Russia and Ukraine at the UNGA. India was one of over a hundred nations that opposed Moscow’s request for a secret vote on a resolution denouncing its “attempted unlawful annexation” of Ukrainian territory.
In the last week of September, Russian President Vladimir Putin officially proclaimed the annexation of the four regions of Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia.
Russia and Ukraine have been at odds more recently due to the Crimea bridge explosion, which spurred Moscow to launch missile attacks on important Ukrainian towns.