Nato welcomes UN condemnation of Russia’s annexation of Ukrainian territories

Nato welcomes UN condemnation of Russia’s annexation of Ukrainian territories
October 13, 2022, 7:30 pm

President Volodymyr Zelensky: Every Russian rocket that hit our state is an answer to the old question about NATO. About whether the doors of the Alliance are actually open for Ukraine. If they were open, if it was fair, then we would not have to convince the Alliance that the sky over Ukraine needs to be closed. Cover from the death carried by the Russian air force (File photo and text: President Volodymyr Zelensky Facebook page)

US and Nato leaders on Thursday (Oct 13) welcomed the UN’s condemnation of Russia’s attempted annexation of four eastern Ukrainian territories, The National reported.

The vote came before the second and last day of meetings in Brussels among Nato defence ministers, who promised further military aid and air defence capabilities to Ukraine.

“The vote in the UN was a clear condemnation of the illegal annexation of Ukrainian territories and a clear call on Putin to reverse these decisions and respect the territorial integrity of Ukraine,” said Nato Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, who gave a statement alongside US Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin.

Mr Austin said he was in “absolute agreement” with Mr Stoltenberg’s statement.

“The US is absolutely committed to its Article 5 commitments, and we are committed to defending every inch of Nato’s territory if and when it comes to that," Mr Austin said.

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg in Washington, United States (File photo: Nato Facebook page)

Countries worldwide rejected Russian President Vladimir Putin's attempts to annex Ukrainian territories following sham referendums Russia orchestrated in four regions in Ukraine

On 30 September 2022, Russia, amid an ongoing invasion, declared its annexation of four Ukrainian oblasts – Luhansk, Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson. The four annexed regions make up about 15% (90,000 sq km) of Ukraine's territory and none were fully under Russian control at the time.

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Three quarters of the 193-member United Nations General Assembly voted on Wednesday (Oct 12) in favour of a resolution that called Moscow’s annexation of Ukrainian territories illegal.

Only four countries joined Russia in voting against the resolution ― Syria, Nicaragua, North Korea and Belarus. Thirty-five countries abstained from the vote, including Russia's strategic partner China, while the rest did not vote.

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