The United Nations held a vote to condemn Russia’s attempts to annex four regions of Ukraine. 143 countries supported the resolution to condemn Russia, while 35 states abstained from voting. Five countries rejected the vote, North Korea, Belarus, Syria, Nicauragua and Russia.
While this was a symbolic vote, it was the highest number of votes in a resolution against Russia since the invasion. Russian President Vladimir Putin signed documents to claim four eastern regions of Ukraine part of Russia. The grand ceremony aimed to claim Luhansk, Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson. The annexation was signed with the Moscow-supported leaders of the regions and came after referendums in the areas were proclaimed. The referendums have been denounced as a “sham” by the West. The resolution calls on the international community to not recognize Russia’s annexation claims as legitimate and strongly supports de-escalation of the continuing conflict in Ukraine.
