A day after Russia veto, Ukraine seeks to move UNGA

The UNSC will vote in the wee hours of Monday to call for the emergency special session of the 193-member UNGA on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

The vote of the 15-member UNSC is procedural in nature and none of the permanent members will be able to use their vetoes. The move needs just nine votes in favour and is likely to pass, following which the emergency session of the UNGA will be held on Tuesday.

So far only 10 such emergency sessions of UNGA have taken place.

On Saturday, India had abstained at the UNSC draft resolution vote, which was vetoed by Russia. It is most likely to vote in a similar manner this time as well.

As Delhi tried to maintain a delicate balance between the US-led Western bloc and Russia, India and China had found themselves on the same side of the vote at the UNSC on Saturday, with both choosing to abstain. The UNSC had last month taken up a procedural vote on whether to discuss Ukraine — then too, India had abstained.

But Delhi has sharpened its language in the UNSC meeting on Saturday, talking about territorial integrity and sovereignty, UN Charter and international law — all of which is being interpreted as a signal directed towards Russia.

India’s envoy to the UN, T S Tirumurti, said: “The contemporary global order has been built on the UN Charter, international law, and respect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of states. All member states need to honour these principles in finding a constructive way forward.”

China had also used a language similar to India’s to abstain.

China’s permanent representative to the UN, Zhang Jun, said the “sovereignty and territorial integrity of all states should be respected and the purposes and principles of the UN Charter should be upheld… Security of one country cannot come at the cost of undermining the security of other nations…Ukraine should become a bridge between East and West.”