Biden says UNGA vote on Ukraine sends ‘clear message’ to Russia: ‘Cannot change borders…’
US President Joe Biden on Wednesday hailed the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) vote to adopt a resolution condemning Russia’s annexation of four Ukrainian regions.
He said via the vote, the world has “sent a clear message” to Russia amid the ongoing war in Ukraine that began in February.
The US president said that Russia cannot erase a sovereign state from the global map. “Russia cannot change borders by force. Russia cannot seize another country’s territory as its own,” Biden added.
“[As many as] 143 nations stood on the side of freedom, sovereignty, and territorial integrity, even more than the 141 nations that voted in March to unequivocally condemn Russia’s war against Ukraine,” the US president said.
Referring to the annexations, Biden slammed Russia saying that by attacking the “core tenets of the UN charter”, the country is tearing at the very foundation of global “peace and security”.
“Together with the UN General Assembly, we will not tolerate illegal attempts at annexation or the theft of a neighbour’s land by force. We will stand up for international law, the UN Charter, and the rights and protections it affords to Ukraine and its people – and to every state and people everywhere,” Biden said.
His statements came soon after 143 nations of the 193-member UNGA voted in favour of the resolution that called Moscow’s annexation move “illegal”. It urges all UN and international agencies not to recognise any changes announced by Russia to borders and demands that Moscow “immediately and unconditionally reverse” the annexation decisions.
India, which shares close ties with Russia, was among 35 nations that abstained from the vote. Four countries joined Russia in voting against the resolution – Belarus, North Korea, Nicaragua and Syria.
Rendering an explanation on its stand, India’s permanent representative to the UN, Ruchira Kamboj, said the country’s decision to abstain was “consistent with our well-thought-out national position”.
“My prime minister has said unequivocally that this cannot be an era of war. With this firm resolve to strive for a peaceful solution through dialogue and diplomacy, India has decided to abstain,” she added, referring to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s statement to Russian President Vladimir Purin during the leaders’ in-person meeting on the sidelines of an event in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, last month.
Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky took to Twitter after the UNGA vote and said he is “grateful” to the 143 states that supported the ‘historic…resolution”.
“RF’s (Russian Federation) attempt at annexation is worthless and will never be recognized by free nations. 🇺🇦 will return all its lands,” his post on the micro-blogging site read.