NEW YORK, Feb 17 — The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) is to vote on a resolution on Ukraine put forward by Kyiv and European Union representatives to mark a year since the Russian invasion, reported the German Press Agency (dpa).
The resolution seen by dpa does not outline specific proposals for a peaceful solution to the conflict but does emphasise positions already expressed by the General Assembly’s 193 member states, including backing for Ukraine’s territorial integrity and a demand for Russia to withdraw its troops.
A UNGA session is to begin on Wednesday, with the foreign ministers of many countries expected to attend. The anniversary of the Russian invasion falls on Friday, February 24.
“The resolution is an echo of certain resolutions passed by the UN General Assembly,” one diplomat told dpa. The strategy of Ukraine’s Western supporters was not to put complex outlines for a plan to end the conflict to a vote but to motivate as many countries as possible to back the resolution.
The aim is to follow up on the vote in October last year when 143 countries voted against Russia’s claim to have annexed large parts of Ukraine.
The diplomat said the aim was a streamlined and relatively vague resolution. “The less there is in it, the better because what counts is the numbers,” he said, pointing to the goal to secure as many votes as possible.
A strong result along the lines of October’s vote would help counter any impression that war-weariness was setting in, he said. Western officials believe that Russian President Vladimir Putin is banking on dwindling support for Ukraine.
— Bernama
