Questions about United Nations General Assembly Resolution 68/262
Short answers, pulled from the story.
What is United Nations General Assembly Resolution 68/262 about?
Resolution 68/262, titled "Territorial integrity of Ukraine," was adopted on the 27th of March 2014 in response to the Russian annexation of Crimea. It affirmed the General Assembly's commitment to Ukraine's territorial integrity within its internationally recognized borders and declared the 2014 Crimean referendum invalid. The resolution was nonbinding.
How many countries voted for UN General Assembly Resolution 68/262?
100 United Nations member states voted in favor of the resolution. Eleven nations voted against, 58 abstained, and 24 were absent when the vote took place on the 27th of March 2014.
Which countries voted against UN Resolution 68/262 on Ukraine?
The eleven nations that voted against Resolution 68/262 were Armenia, Belarus, Bolivia, Cuba, Nicaragua, North Korea, Russia, Sudan, Syria, Venezuela, and Zimbabwe.
Why did China abstain from voting on UN Resolution 68/262?
China's permanent representative, Liu Jieyi, stated that pushing ahead with the General Assembly vote would only further complicate ongoing diplomatic mediation efforts. China chose to abstain rather than vote in favor or against the resolution.
Why was UN Resolution 68/262 brought to the General Assembly instead of the Security Council?
The Security Council had convened seven sessions to address the Crimean crisis but Russia, as a permanent member, vetoed draft resolution S/2014/189, which had been sponsored by 42 countries. Because the General Assembly cannot be vetoed, six nations, Canada, Costa Rica, Germany, Lithuania, Poland, and Ukraine, introduced the resolution there instead.
What was Russia's reaction to the passage of UN General Assembly Resolution 68/262?
On the 28th of March 2014, the Russian Federation called the resolution counterproductive and accused Western states of using blackmail and threats to gather votes in favor of it. Russia framed the resolution as a coercive political operation rather than genuine international consensus.