The UN General Assembly passed a resolution by a large majority on Wednesday, calling on countries not to recognise the four regions of Ukraine which Russia has claimed, following so-called referendums held late last month, and demanding that Moscow reverse course on its "attempted illegal annexation," a UN news article read. Malta was one of the countries that voted in favour of the resolution.
"The results were 143 Member States in favour, with five voting against, and 35 abstentions. The countries who voted against were Belarus, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Nicaragua, Russia and Syria," a news item on the UN's news page reads. "The resolution "defending the principles" of the UN Charter, notes that the regions of Donetsk, Kherson, Luhansk and Zaporizhzhia are temporarily occupied by Russia as a result of aggression, violating Ukraine's territorial integrity, sovereignty and political independence."
The associated Press reports that Ukraine's U.N. ambassador, Sergiy Kyslytsya, called the vote "amazing" and "a historic moment." It said that U.S. Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield said supporters were "holding our breaths" and called it "a monumental day."
AP also reports that it was the strongest support from the General Assembly for Ukraine and against Russia of the four resolutions it has approved since Russian troops invaded Ukraine. U.S. President Joe Biden said in a statement that the vote demonstrated the world "is more united and more determined than ever to hold Russia accountable for its violations." It is "a clear message" that "Russia cannot erase a sovereign state from the map" and it "cannot change borders by force," he said.
The AP reported that Russia's U.N. ambassador, Vassily Nebenzia, had appealed to countries to vote against the resolution, calling it "a politicized and openly provocative document" and denouncing its sponsors as "unscrupulous Western blackmailers." He expressed regret the vote was not by secret ballot, as Russia sought but the assembly rejected. Nebenzia reiterated Russia's claims the referendums were valid, saying "the populations of these regions do not want to return to Ukraine."