Asian countries largely stuck to their guns on Monday, with most voting in favour of a Ukraine-led resolution at the UN General Assembly even as the U.S. reportedly urged allies to vote against it.
The UNGA ultimately adopted the non-binding resolution, which acknowledges Russia’s invasion of Ukraine — rather than the “Russian Federation-Ukraine conflict,” as it was described by the U.S. in its duelling resolution — and calls for “an early cessation of hostilities and a peaceful resolution of the war against Ukraine.”
The Ukraine-led resolution also registered serious concerns regarding any involvement of North Korean troops “fighting alongside forces of the Russian Federation.”
The U.S. joined Russia, North Korea, and 15 other states in voting against the resolution, in a move described by one Republican senator as a “dramatic shift from the American ideals of freedom and democracy.”
Ninety-three UNGA members — including Australia, Canada, Indonesia, Japan, New Zealand, Singapore, South Korea, Thailand, and the Philippines — voted in favour of Ukraine’s resolution.
Sixty-five members, including China, India, Laos, Mongolia, and Vietnam, abstained. Notably, last year, China voted against a similar resolution; this year’s abstention may hint at a change in policy.
On the same day as the vote, Chinese President Xi Jinping spoke with Russian President Vladimir Putin. A Chinese readout of the call noted Xi told Putin that the “two countries are true friends [and] support each other.”
Putin reportedly told Xi that Russia is committed to “reaching a sustainable and long-term peace plan” with Ukraine. Previous Chinese readouts — including from earlier this year, 2024, and 2023 — haven’t mentioned Moscow’s supposed desire for peace.
