Russia vetoed the United Nations (UN) Security Council Resolution against the invasion of Ukraine. Russian troops advanced through the neighboring country after an order given by President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday night (24), early in the morning in Russia. With the veto, the resolution was rejected, in an expected result. There were 11 votes in favour, one vote against and three abstentions.
In order to be approved, a Resolution cannot be vetoed by any of the five permanent members of the council. Russia, pivot of the crisis, is one of these countries, exercising its veto power, as expected. China, one of the few countries not to take a stand against Putin’s actions, was one of three countries that abstained. The others were India and the United Arab Emirates.
Brazil votes against Russia
Representatives from some countries spoke before the vote. Brazil’s ambassador to the UN, Ronaldo Costa Filho, made a firm speech against the invasion of Ukraine, positioning the country in a way that condemns the aggression suffered by Ukrainians in its own territory. In the vote, he was in favor of the Resolution.
“A line has been crossed and this council cannot remain silent. [Precisamos] seek a space for dialogue”, said Costa Filho. “The strategic balance in Europe does not give Russia the right to threaten the sovereignty of Ukraine or any other country,” he added. Brazil’s representative on the council said that Russia’s actions shake faith in international law.
Linda Thomas-Greenfield, the US representative on the UN Security Council, defended the document’s approval, and condemned the invasion of one country by another “just because it can”. “One country is invading the other. There is no in-between situation. Responsible countries don’t invade their neighbors just because they can. Vote yes if you think Russia should pay for its actions.”
After the result, Thomas-Greenfield again asked for the floor and sent a message to Russia and its representative on the council. “Russia, you can veto this resolution, but you cannot silence our voices, you cannot veto the Ukrainian people and you cannot veto your guilt in it.”
The representative of Norway, Mona Juul, opined that Russia should not have voted, but decided to abstain, given the context of the document.
Threat to Finland
Russian troops are rapidly advancing through Ukrainian territory towards the capital Kiev. The expectation is that the capital will be taken in the early hours of Saturday (25). Meanwhile, the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs used Twitter to threaten Finland, with whom it borders further north.
Through the social network, he reminded the neighboring country of its commitment to non-military alignment and made threats if it decides to join the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). “We consider the Finnish government’s commitment to a policy of military non-alignment to be an important factor in ensuring security and stability in Northern Europe. Finland’s accession to NATO would have serious military and political repercussions.”
nato
NATO is a military alliance to which 30 countries are signatories and commit to defending another member country if it is attacked. That is, an attack by Russia on a member country, such as Poland, would put 29 other countries in the war. Among them, the United States, United Kingdom, Germany and France. Ukraine is not a member country and therefore has been fighting alone against a vastly superior Russian army. There are, however, NATO troops stationed in countries neighboring Ukraine, such as Lithuania, Poland and Romania.
