ELess than a week has passed since Russia’s attack on Ukraine when, in early March, the United Nations General Assembly backed Kyiv with 141 out of 193 votes and reaffirmed Ukraine’s sovereignty in a resolution. The message was loud and clear, said Secretary General António Guterres at the time. “People in Ukraine desperately need peace. And people all over the world are demanding it.”

So the standards are high for the outcome of the vote on the resolution, which will occupy the UN General Assembly in New York this week. The 193 member states are debating a draft resolution condemning the annexation of the four Ukrainian territories of Luhansk, Donetsk, Kherson and Zaporizhia – as well as the previous bogus referendum for union with Russia.

Russia blocked a similar resolution at the UN Security Council in late September. Of the 15-member panel, Russia voted no, while China, India, Brazil and Gabon abstained. In contrast, Moscow has no veto power in the UN General Assembly. According to its supporters, the resolution is meant to further isolate Russian President Vladimir Putin and make it clear that a further escalation of the war will only have more consequences for Russia internationally. However, in contrast to Security Council resolutions, they are not binding under international law.

Russia condemns draft resolution

A draft resolution seen by AFP news agency condemned Russia’s “illegal annexation” of four Ukrainian territories after the “so-called referendum”. These events “have no validity under international law”. In an effort to get as many votes as possible, the text resolution may change in the next few days. A vote is expected in the middle of the week. A two-thirds majority is needed to pass the resolution. By March, a total of 181 of the 193 UN members had voted: 141 yes, five no – North Korea, Eritrea, Belarus, Syria and Russia – and 35 abstained. The remainder currently have no voting rights.

Russia’s representative at the UN condemned the resolution as a “new anti-Russian” measure. The events at the Security Council have made clear how deep the rift is. India, which abstained in March, refused to show its card at the meeting “out of prudence and political reasons.” German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock stressed on Friday that every vote counts. However, there are indications of another clear message from the UN General Assembly. China and India, which have both refrained from criticizing Russia, voted to allow Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to speak remotely at the UN General Assembly in September. Foreign Minister Carlos Alberto Franca also said for Brazil, which has abstained on the Security Council, it was important to continue efforts to quickly end the war. In September, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken welcomed the “tremendous unity among member states”.