The 193-member General Assembly also demands aid access and civilian protection in Ukraine
\n UNITED NATIONS:
\nAlmost three-quarters of the UN General Assembly demanded aid access and civilian protection in Ukraine on Thursday and criticised Russia for creating a \u201cdire\u201d humanitarian situation after Moscow invaded its neighbour one month ago.
\nIt is the second time the 193-member General Assembly has overwhelmingly isolated Russia over what Moscow calls a \u201cspecial military operation\u201d that it says aims to destroy Ukraine\u2019s military infrastructure.
\nUN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has blasted Russia\u2019s \u201cabsurd war\u201d. Thousands of people have been killed in Ukraine, millions made refugees, and cities pulverised in the past month.
\nThe resolution adopted on Thursday, which was drafted by Ukraine and allies, received 140 votes in favour and five votes against – Russia, Syria, North Korean, Eritrea and Belarus – while 38 countries, including China, abstained.
\nGeneral Assembly resolutions are nonbinding, but they carry political weight. There was a round of applause in the hall after the adoption on Thursday.
\nRussia\u2019s UN Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia described the resolution adopted on Thursday as a \u201cpseudo humanitarian draft\u201d that took a \u201cone-sided view of the situation.\u201d He again accused Western countries of a campaign of \u201cunprecedented pressure\u201d to win votes, a claim that the United States has rejected.
\nUkraine and its allies had been looking to match or improve on support received for a March 2 General Assembly resolution that deplored Russia\u2019s \u201caggression\u201d and demanded it withdraw its troops. That received 141 yes votes, the same five no votes, while 35 states – including China – abstained.
\n\u2018Astounding success\u2019
\nUS Ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield described the vote on Thursday as an \u201castounding success,\u201d telling reporters: \u201cThere\u2019s really no difference between 141 and 140.\u201d
\nThe resolution adopted on Thursday demands the protection of civilians, medical personnel, aid workers, journalists, hospitals and other civilian infrastructure. It also demands an end to the siege of cities, in particular Mariupol.
\nUkraine and Western allies have accused Moscow of attacking civilians indiscriminately. Moscow denies attacking civilians.
\nThe resolution echoes the March 2 General Assembly text by again demanding that Moscow stop fighting and withdraw its troops from Ukraine.
\nWestern sanctions won\u2019t sway Kremlin, says Russia\u2019s former president Medvedev
\nSouth Africa had proposed a rival draft resolution that focused on the humanitarian situation and did not mention Russia. Russia appealed for countries to support that text.
\nThe General Assembly decided not to act on the South African draft after Ukraine called a vote under a rule covering draft resolutions on the same issue.
\nThe General Assembly vote came one day after a Russian-drafted resolution calling for aid access and civilian protection in Ukraine – and not mentioning Moscow\u2019s role – failed at the UN Security Council, with only Russia and China voting yes and the remaining 13 members abstaining.
\nThe Russian Security Council draft was very similar to the text put forward in the General Assembly by South Africa.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The 193-member General Assembly also demands aid access and civilian protection in Ukraine UNITED NATIONS: Almost three-quarters of the UN General Assembly demanded aid access and civilian protection in Ukraine on Thursday and criticised Russia for creating a \u201cdire\u201d humanitarian situation after Moscow invaded its neighbour one month ago. It is the second time the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-251549","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-world"},"yoast_head":"\n