The United Nations has voted overwhelmingly in favor of a resolution condemning Russia's invasion of Ukraine and calling for an immediate and unconditional withdrawal of its military forces there.
WATCH:
The Guardian reports:
The resolution is not legally binding, but is an expression of the views of the UN membership, aimed at increasing pressure on Moscow and its ally, Belarus.
One hundred and forty-one member nations voted for the resolution, 35 abstained and only five nations voted against it.
NBC News noted that United State's U.N. representative compared Russia's aggression to that of Nazi Germany 80 years before.
“We believe this is a simple vote,” said U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Linda Thomas-Greenfield during remarks on Wednesday. “Vote yes if you believe U.N. member states, including your own, have a right to sovereignty and territorial integrity. Vote yes if you believe Russia should be held to account for his actions. Vote yes if you believe in upholding the U.N. Charter and everything this institution stands for.”
Thomas-Greenfield accused Russian forces of moving “exceptionally lethal weaponry into Ukraine, which has no place on the battlefield” based on videos she had seen. She did not show the video.
“That includes cluster munitions and vacuum bombs, which are banned under the Geneva Convention,” she continued.
WATCH:
Belarus, North Korea, Eritrea and Syria were the only countries publicly supporting the Kremlin's actions.
Other prominent allies of Russia — Cuba, Venezuela and China — abstained.
The vote came about during an emergency session on Wednesday.
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