Yesterday 12 October, the UN General Assembly adopted a resolution with 143 votes on the territorial integrity of Ukraine and defending the principles of the UN Charter. The resolution condemns the sham referenda in Donetsk, Kherson, Luhansk and Zaporizhzhia in occupied Ukrainian territories and Russia’s decisions to illegally annex these territories, which is a gross violation of the UN Charter.
Foreign Minister Urmas Reinsalu said it was a very important vote condemning Russian aggression, adopted with the overwhelming majority of 143 votes in favour, 5 against and 35 abstentions. “The international community once again confirmed that it resolutely condemns Russia’s illegal actions in Ukraine and is steadfast in its support for Ukraine’s sovereignty independence and territorial integrity. The legally null and void referenda held in occupied areas and the annexation of territories belonging to Ukraine is a violation of both the UN Charter and international law more broadly. We will never recognise these steps,” Reinsalu said. The foreign minister underlined that we must continue isolating the aggressor state internationally and ensure that Russia is held accountable for all the violations and crimes committed in Ukraine.
Estonian Ambassador to the UN Rein Tammsaar said that Russia’s attack on Ukraine is a direct attack on the rules-based international order, which UN members must defend by taking decisive action. “Due to Russia’s veto, the resolution on the sham referenda was not adopted by the UN Security Council. Despite the shameful attempts to hinder the work of the General Assembly with procedural manipulation, an overwhelming majority of UN member states condemned Russia’s actions again. Today’s decision clearly shows that the aggressor is alone in the international arena and no one is fooled by those so-called referenda,” Tammsaar said.
The vote was held in the course of the UN General Assembly’s special session on Ukraine, which began on Monday. A joint statement of Nordic countries and Baltic States (NB8) was presented at the session, which can be found here. Estonia and other 42 countries submitted the proposal for the resolution.
