Russia, as expected, vetoed a UN Security Council resolution on Friday that deplored “in the strongest terms” the country’s “aggression” against Ukraine and demanded the immediate withdrawal of its troops.
Eleven of the council’s 15 members voted for the motion, which was co-written by the United States and Albania. China, India and the United Arab Emirates abstained.
The resolution was always doomed to fail because of Moscow’s veto power as a permanent member of the council.
However, the debate offered member nations an opportunity to voice condemnation of President Vladimir Putin’s decision to launch a full-scale offensive against Russia’s neighbour.
Russia, which currently holds the rotating Security Council presidency, will likely face another vote on a similar resolution before the wider UN General Assembly which is formed of all 193 member countries.
Moscow does not have a veto there and the resolution could be passed by a substantial margin, although it would be non-binding.
The General Assembly held a similar vote in 2014 condemning Russia’s seizure of Crimea, which obtained 100 votes in support.
Moscow had earlier vetoed a Security Council resolution condemning its actions in Crimea. Thirteen countries supported it with China abstaining.
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