Biden Hails UN Vote Slamming Russia For Sham Annexations In Ukraine

The United Nations General Assembly has overwhelmingly condemned Russia’s “attempted illegal annexation” of four Ukrainian regions and demanded that Moscow reverse course, Samantha Lock reported for The Guardian.

Photo Insert: US president Joe Biden said the vote sent a “clear message” to Moscow.

US president Joe Biden said the vote sent a “clear message” to Moscow. “The stakes of this conflict are clear to all, and the world has sent a clear message in response – Russia cannot erase a sovereign state from the map,” he said in a statement.

“Russia cannot change borders by force. Russia cannot seize another country’s territory as its own,” Biden said.

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskiy said he was “grateful to 143 states that supported the historic UNGA [United Nations general assembly] resolution”, tweeting: “The world had its say – [Russia’s] attempt at annexation is worthless and will never be recognized by free nations.”

Three-quarters of the 193-member general assembly – or 143 countries – voted on Wednesday in favor of a resolution that called Moscow’s move illegal, deepening Russia’s international isolation, the Associated Press (AP) reported.

Only four countries joined Russia in voting against the resolution – Syria, Nicaragua, North Korea, and Belarus. Thirty-five countries abstained, including Russia’s strategic partner China, together with India, South Africa, and Pakistan. The rest did not vote.

Ukraine’s UN ambassador, Sergiy Kyslytsya, said the vote result was “amazing.” US secretary of state Antony Blinken said the vote showed international unity against Russia and repeated that Washington would never recognize the “sham” referendums.

The vote “is a powerful reminder that the overwhelming majority of nations stand with Ukraine, in defense of the UN Charter and in resolute opposition to Russia’s ongoing war against Ukraine and its people,” he said in a statement.

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