Considering the multitudes of responses that have come from representatives of all countries from around the world before an emergency United Nations (UN) General Assembly was called, the voting results of the resolution to stop Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is not surprising.
141 member states voted in favour of the resolution, 35 abstained, and 5 were against it.
Singapore was one of the co-sponsors of the resolution against Russia’s invasion.
The Five Countries Against the Resolution
The five countries that were against the resolution were Belarus, Eritrea, Syria, North Korea, and of course Russia.
Belarus’ support for Russia isn’t surprising, considering how it has always been a loyal follower of Russia, even after the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991.
Eritrea and Syria’s support is a given as well.
Eritrea has recently forged a military cooperation agreement with Russia which has strengthened the countries’ diplomatic ties, whilst Russia has been supporting Syrian President’s Bashar al-Assad’s government since 2015.
North Korea need not be mentioned for obvious reasons… Regardless of whether Communism was monolithic or not in the past, both of them are strong autocrats/dictators that stand united.
Details of the Resolution and Debate
The resolution “deplores in the strongest terms the aggression by the Russian Federation” as it violates Article 2 (4) of the United Nations (UN) Charter which states that all member states shall refrain from threatening or using force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any state.
It also condemns President Vladimir Putin’s decision to deploy his nuclear forces and munitions, which goes against the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons.
Alas, Russia is also among the member states that have not signed the treaty when it was proposed and opened in 2017.
Furthermore, the fundamental flaw with resolutions passed in the UN General Assembly, in contrast to the UN Security Council, is that the resolutions are legally non-binding.
Ergo, it might all be strongly worded condemnations and requests for the violence to stop because it’s in violation of the founding principles of the global organisation, but countries are free to turn a deaf ear to them.
And as reality would prove it, Russia voted against it and ignored all of the censure that flew its way.
I would pity the UN Russian Ambassador for having to sit through all the criticism, but that’s assuming they weren’t asleep or wearing earplugs after decisively voting against the resolution before it was even drafted.
Russia still maintains its stance of “self-defence” under Article 51 of the UN Charter, which states, “Nothing in the present Charter shall impair the inherent right of individual or collective self-defence if an armed attack occurs against a Member of the United Nations.”
Of course, it doesn’t really hold any water since Donetsk and Lugansk are not recognised members of the United Nations yet despite President Putin witnessing the declaration of their independence, and there is no “self-defence” to speak of when no one has invaded Russia.
But the representatives of Russia have proven time and time again that they can spout excuses without even batting an eyelid or feeling a shred of guilt, so does it really even matter if they have a pretext or not?
The Condemnations and Worries
Being the geopolitical nation at stake, Ukraine Ambassador Sergia Kyslytsya spoke before the voting commenced: “They have to deprive Ukraine of the very right to exist. It’s already clear that the goal of Russia is not an occupation only. It is genocide.”
The European Union’s Ambassador to the UN Olaf Skoog remarked that the vote “wasn’t just about Ukraine”, but “about defending an international order based on rules we all have signed up to.”
As Singapore’s Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan has aptly phrased it, “[The situation in Ukraine] goes to the heart of international law and the UN Charter that prohibits force and act of aggression against another sovereign state.”
Dr Balakrishnan adds, “Unless we as a country stand up for principles that are the very foundation for the independence and sovereignty of small nations, our own right to exist and prosper as a nation may similarly be called into question one day.”
For the same reasons, 141 countries have voted in favour; a strong display of their support for democracy against autocracy.
“Who Will Be Next?”
If Russia manages to succeed in occupying Ukraine and persuade that Russia’s historical claim over Ukraine has merit, it spells trouble for many other younger and smaller countries that have gained its own independence.
There is the fear of the domino effect once again.
For instance, Colombia baulked against the prospect of returning to the “Empire”, whilst Albania—once a satellite state of the Soviet Union—wondered: “Who will be next?”
Kuwait was among the member states who loudly denounced Moscow, since it had been a victim of an invasion by Iraq in 1990.
Almost every General Assembly speaker condemned the war without any qualms.
Naturally, US Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield didn’t hold back, declaring, “If the United Nations has any purpose, it is to prevent the war.”
She even openly accused Russia of intending to increase the cruel ferocity of the campaign, citing that they have witnessed videos of Russian troops moving with “exceptionally lethal weaponry”, which includes cluster munitions and vacuum bombs that had been explicitly banned under the Geneva Convention.
However, considering the US’s own track record with its invasion of Libya, Iraq and Afghanistan in the past two decades, the supporters of Russia didn’t waste any time calling out America for its double standards.
UN Belarus Ambassador Valentin Rybakov even stepped forward in staunch defence of Russia, berating that the sanctions imposed by the West were “the worst example of economic and financial terrorism”.
Notable Abstentions
Whilst Japan and New Zealand spearheaded the condemnation from Asia, China, India, and Pakistan—the three continental giants—were noticeably quiet.
In fact, Beijing took a neutral stance, emphasising that the world had “nothing to gain” from another cold war.
Armenia, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan have unsurprisingly abstained as well, since they are part of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) with Russia.
Quite a number of African countries have chosen not to weigh in on the matter as well: like Algeria, Angola, Burundi, Central African Republic, Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Madagascar, Mali, Mozambique, Namibia, Senegal, South Africa, South Sudan, Uganda, and Zimbabwe.
Either that, or they were absent from the General Assembly, like Burkina Faso, Eswatini, Ethiopia, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Morocco, and Togo.
That means that 22 out of 54 African countries either abstained or were absent.
But Russia has also been renewing diplomatic ties with African countries as of late too.
Therefore, it is highly likely that the African nations mutually agreed to sit on fence, so as to not provoke either the West or Russia.
As for the other like Vietnam, Iran, Iraq, Cuba, or Laos, they were at some point in history, at the mercy or have been invaded by the US, which kind of explains why they might have chosen to abstain.
Will More Actions Be Taken?
Although the UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has given a loud and clear message, telling Russia to end the hostilities in Ukraine, Moscow is unlikely and unwilling to stop.
As to whether the United Nations will initiate Resolution 377(A), the “Uniting for Peace” resolution, where the General Assembly may call for the use of armed forces to intervene in a peacekeeping mission when the Security Council fails to reach unanimity (which it has), that will depend on how the UN General Assembly will continue to proceed.
Until then, the war between Russia and Ukraine rages on.
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