In addition to Russia itself, four countries voted against the resolution passed this Wednesday (2) at the UN General Assembly condemning the country for the invasion of Ukraine. They were: Belarus, North Korea, Eritrea and Syria.
For approval, a majority of 2/3 of the voters was needed. Brazil was one of 141 countries in favor of the measure. Another 35 abstained.
In a speech before the vote, Russia’s ambassador to the UN, Vasily Nebenzya, asked that the draft not be approved and that countries “vote for their interests and not for pressure”. During his speech, he accused Ukraine of using people as a human shield and holding hostages in Kiev.
Nebenzya said refusing the vote would allow “Free Ukraine from Neo-Nazism” and that there is a growth of groups with this ideal in the Eastern European country.
“We are trying to end the eight-year war in the Donbas region. We talked to everyone, but they didn’t listen. The purpose of the special operation shows that we are not making attacks on civilian infrastructure,” he added.
Russian officials constantly justify the action by blaming Ukraine for discrimination and persecution against the Russian population in the country, particularly in the self-proclaimed Republics of Luhansk and Donetsk.
Belarus
Belarus, meanwhile, is a historic ally of Russia, and the country’s president, Alexander Lukashenko, is a leader diplomatically close to Vladimir Putin.
Ukraine even accused the country of being involved in the Russian invasion and that it could even participate in the attack. Russian troops entered Ukrainian territory via Belarus, also utilizing the capital Kiev’s closest proximity to the border between the two countries.
The country denies involvement in the Russian invasion, but has been seen by the United States, the European Union, Ukraine and other nations as one of Russia’s most important allies at the moment.
“We categorically reject the allegations against Belarus regarding the illicit use of force against Ukraine”Ambassador Velentin Rybakov said in a speech at the UN also this Wednesday (2), adding that the country only organizes negotiations between Russia and Ukraine.
The ambassador defended the position given by Russia that the United Nations was negligent with Ukraine’s alleged human rights violations, in reference to neo-Nazi groups in the country, saying that the international bodies lacked “the courage and strength to respond to criminal activities in Ukraine”.
Syria
Also before the vote, Bassam al-Sabbagha, Syria’s ambassador, said the resolution’s purpose was political pressure and that the draft was “blatant political hypocrisy” that “Westernized the situation.”
“This draft is a media campaign to spread lies and misinformation. It has no objective of finding a clear and practical solution to the crisis. It is a text full of loopholes and untruths, which ignores the real reasons for the intensification of actions and the beginning of hostilities,” he said.
The Syrian representative also highlighted that there should be the “same disposition” of the countries regarding the “continued occupation of Israel” and what he called Turkish aggression and the US violation of Syrian territorial integrity.
Finally, al-Sabbagh pointed out that the measure generated “different weights and measures”, in addition to unilateral sanctions.
It is worth remembering that the Russian government assisted Bashar al-Asaad, Syrian ruler, in the country’s civil war. Since then, the country has declared its support for President Putin.
eritrea
Eritrea said it believes territorial integrity must be respected by all countries, but justified the vote by saying be against the “internationalization of territory and the imposition of unilateral sanctions that can escalate the situation and deplore international dialogue”.
The country’s representative also stated that Africans are facing problems leaving the country, something that was previously reported, and reiterated that he wanted “to see that the doors of diplomacy remain open”, said the country’s representative at the UN.
North Korea did not comment during the Assembly, but state news agency KCNA reported on Feb. 28 that the country blamed the “hegemonic politics” and “arrogance” of the United States and the West.
“The root cause of the crisis in Ukraine lies entirely in the hegemonic politics of the US and the West., who impose themselves with arrogance and abuse of power against other countries,” the official North KCNA news agency said, citing an unnamed Foreign Ministry. spokesperson.
North Korea has accused Washington and its allies of “ignoring Russia’s reasonable and legitimate demands” to ensure legally backed security guarantees.
Source: CNN Brasil
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