India was among four countries that abstained on a draft resolution at the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) condemning the so-called referenda organised by Russia across four regions of Ukraine. Hours before Friday afternoon’s voting in New York, Russian President Vladimir Putin “annexed” four regions inside Ukraine’s internationally recognized borders ¬ Kherson, Zaporizhzhia, Luhansk and Donetsk ¬ based on the results of Russian-organised referenda in these regions.
The UNSC resolution, sponsored by the United States and Albania, failed to pass the 15-member Council on Friday afternoon, despite winning ten supporting votes, after Russia used a veto to block it. A similar resolution is likely to be introduced in the U.N. General Assembly – where Russia does not have a veto - in the near future.
The resolution condemns the referenda , calls on the international community not to recognise any alterations to Ukraine’s territory and calls for Russia to withdraw its forces from Ukraine. The other abstaining countries at Friday’s voting were China, Brazil and Gabon.
