As expected, Russia used its veto on Friday to prevent the adoption of a UN Security Council resolution condemning its annexations of four Ukrainian regions, a text that will now be presented to the General Assembly where all states are represented. members.
Apart from the Russian veto, the resolution obtained 10 votes in favor and four countries abstained, China, India, Brazil and Gabon.
The draft to which AFP had access, written before the signing this Friday by Russian President Vladimir Putin of the documents for the annexation of the Donetsk, Lugansk, Zaporizhia and Kherson regions, wanted to “condemn” the organization by of “the so-called illegal referendums” in these regions and stresses that they cannot have “any validity” nor “serve as a basis for any alteration of the status of these regions”, “including any pseudo-annexation” by Russia.
“Not recognizing a pseudo-annexation”
This draft resolution, prepared by the United States and Albania, called on all states and other organizations “not to recognize a pseudo-annexation” of the four regions by Russia.
He also demanded that Moscow “immediately, completely and unconditionally withdraw all its military forces” from the country.
“You are intentionally forcing us to use our veto so that you can launch into lyrical fantasies about the fact that we are abusing our rights,” Russian Ambassador to the UN Vassily Nebenzia charged, denouncing an “openly hostile action by the West.” “.
If the Russian veto was out of the question, eyes turned in particular to China, officially neutral but sometimes accused by Westerners of being too conciliatory with Russia.
Chinese abstained
As in February, the day after Russia invaded Ukraine, China, like India, abstained on Friday.
“Any action by the Security Council should promote the improvement of the situation and the resolution of the crisis, instead of intensifying the conflicts and exacerbating the confrontation,” said Chinese Ambassador Zhang Jun, reiterating that China supports sovereignty and territorial integrity “of all countries”. .
“If Russia prevents the Security Council from fulfilling its responsibilities, we will ask the General Assembly, where each country has a voice, to make it clear that redrawing the borders of force is unacceptable,” he had warned shortly before the meeting. vote US Secretary of State Antony Blinken.
This subsequent vote in the General Assembly, where none of the 193 member states has the right to veto, will make it possible to assess the degree of Russia’s isolation, while some developing countries are upset that the West concentrates all its surveillance on Ukraine.
Westerners are “relatively certain of getting strong support for Ukraine’s territorial integrity in the General Assembly,” said Richard Gowan, an analyst at the NGO International Crisis Group.
“Many countries were beginning to withdraw their support from Ukraine (…) but by putting annexation and territorial integrity on the table, (Vladimir) Putin will force a number of wavering states to return to the Ukraine camp”, in particular certain African states, he added, believing the Russian president had made a “fundamental diplomatic mistake”.
Council must address Nord Stream leaks
In the spring, the General Assembly passed three resolutions regarding Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the third in late April resulting in an erosion of international unity towards Moscow.
On March 2, during a first historic vote, 141 countries had condemned the Russian invasion, five countries voted against it (Russia, Belarus, Syria, North Korea and Eritrea), 35 abstained.
On March 24, the Assembly called for unhindered humanitarian access and protection of civilians in Ukraine: 140 votes in favour, five against (equal) and 38 countries chose to abstain.
As of April 7, only 93 countries had supported Russia’s suspension from the UN Human Rights Council, with 24 votes against and 58 abstentions.
At the end of the meeting on the annexation “referendums”, the Council will have to consider, at the request of Russia, the four leaks that affect the Nord Stream gas pipelines in the Baltic Sea.
A report from Sweden and Denmark sent to the Security Council estimates that these leaks are due to underwater explosions equivalent to “hundreds of kilos” of TNT.
The source and author of the explosions remain a mystery. Russia, towards which all eyes are turned, denies all responsibility and blames the West.
Source: BFM TV
