On Tuesday, as pro-Moscow administrations in many regions of the war-torn country started declaring success in an annexation referendum, the UN reiterated its commitment to Ukraine's "territorial integrity."
After five days of voting in so-called referendums that Kyiv and the West denounced as a sham, Russian-installed officials in occupied regions of Ukraine announced overwhelming majorities in favor of joining Russia on Tuesday (Sep 27).
"The United Nations remains fully committed to the sovereignty, unity, independence, and territorial integrity of Ukraine, within its internationally recognized borders," Rosemary DiCarlo, the Under-Secretary-General for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs said.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the president of Ukraine, spoke to the gathering via video link and once more criticized the hastily organized elections in the Russian-occupied territories of Kherson and Zaporizhzhia in the south and Donetsk and Lugansk in the east.
As quoted, he said, "There's a very cynical attempt to force the male population in occupied territory of Ukraine to mobilize into the Russian army, in order to send them to fight against their own homelands." Zelensky warned that "annexation is the kind of move that puts him alone against the whole of humanity," referring to Russian President Vladimir Putin. "A clear signal is now needed from every country in the world," he added.
There is little likelihood of the Security Council, where Russia has a veto, coming to an agreement on the annexation action despite Zelensky's appeals.
However, according to Linda Thomas-Greenfield, the U.S. ambassador to the UN, the U.S. intends to present a resolution denouncing the "sham referenda," encouraging member states "not to recognize any altered status of Ukraine and obligating Russia to withdraw its troops from Ukraine."
It will be carefully watched to see if China modifies its position toward Russia, which it has yet to denounce for invading Ukraine, based on its comments and vote on the resolution.
"Our position and proposition on how to view and handle the Ukraine issue is consistent and clear," Chinese Ambassador to the UN Zhang Jun said.
China opted to abstain on a vote in February condemning the invasion by Moscow's military, which was nevertheless vetoed by Russia. Russian UN ambassador Vassily Nebenzia made it clear that his country would use its veto once more, denouncing the move as "temper tantrums of the Western delegations."
There have already been a number of resolutions denouncing Russia's conflict in Ukraine passed by the UN General Assembly, which brings together the 193 member nations of the organization and where no one state has a veto.
