Russia must withdraw from Ukraine, 147 UNGA members say, including Israel

Russia must unilaterally withdraw from Ukraine, 147 countries – including Israel – demanded as they approved a resolution that called for a just and lasting peace that preserved the war-torn country’s territorial integrity.

The UNGA called on Russia to “immediately, completely and unconditionally withdraw all of its military forces from the territory of Ukraine within its internationally recognized borders” and for “the cessation of hostilities.”

Only seven countries opposed the text from Thursday’s vote, which was timed to mark the one-year anniversary of the start of the war.

Among those who stood with Russia were Belarus, North Korea, Eritrea, Mali, Nicaragua and Syria. China, India and Iran abstained.

On Friday morning after the vote, Israel’s Foreign Minister Eli Cohen tweeted that Israel supports “the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine and its solidarity with the people of Ukraine.” Cohen made similar comments when he visited Ukraine last week.

In his tweet, Cohen included a photograph of himself at the site of a mass grave in Bucha and wrote, “On my recent visit to Kyiv and Bucha I have witnessed the harsh consequences of the war in Ukraine.”

After the vote, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky tweeted his gratitude to the countries “that endorsed the crucial UN General Assembly resolution that underlines comprehensive, just and lasting peace in Ukraine.”

The resolution was a “powerful signal of unflagging global support for Ukraine” and “a powerful testament to the solidarity of the global community with the Ukrainian people in the context of the anniversary of [the Russian Federation]’s full-scale aggression. A powerful manifestation of global support for #PeaceFormula!,” he added.

In New York, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said that the message was clear – Russia’s attempt to undermine international order had failed and that his country had broad global support.

The United States Ambassador to the UN Linda Thomas Greenfield said “141 countries recommitted to tackling the threats to energy, finance, the environment, food insecurity and nuclear security that Russia’s war has unleashed upon the world.

“Today, we refuse to give up on hope. We refuse to give up on the potential for diplomacy, the power of dialogue and the urgency of peace.”

During the two-day plenum debate that proceeded the vote, Russia’s Ambassador to the UN Vasily Alekseyevich Nebenzya accused Western countries of exploiting the conflict.

“It becomes absolutely clear that the Ukrainian crisis was just a catalyst that helped this savage Russophobia to come to the surface and contaminate all American and European elites,” he told the plenum.

Those Western countries “are now competing with one another in introducing more and more sanctions against our country, which in reality impact the developing world,” Nebenzya explained.

“In this rush to defeat Russia at any cost, they are ready to sacrifice not only Ukraine but plunge the entire world into the abyss of war, because what’s at stake for them is the preservation of the hegemony of the United States and its allies.

“They consider the whole planet as their estate and do not want anyone else to be in control,” he said.