Following its Saturday abstention from UN Security Council Resolution 8979 criticizing Russian involvement in Ukraine, India now confronts more difficult decisions, with a US-led coalition pushing for a UN General Assembly vote aimed at “isolating Russia.”
The UNGA vote, which might happen as early as Monday, will come after the UNSC discussed an “emergency special session” late Sunday night to scrutinize the text of Resolution 8979, which Russia had vetoed.
Given that more than 80 countries co-sponsored Resolution 8979, and that the US and European countries leading the diplomatic charge against Russia have been working the phones to persuade others to vote with them, the US and European countries leading the diplomatic charge against Russia are hopeful of gaining a large majority in the 193-member UNGA.
a shift in position
A European official stated, “We are presenting our perspective to the Ministry of External Affairs on why it must defend Ukraine against Russia’s strikes.” “It is up to India to decide whether to stand with the aggressor or the victim,” he added, adding that diplomats believe India could “possibly” modify its stance despite its earlier abstention.
India has so far refrained from supporting any resolution criticizing Russia, which is a traditional strategic partner, but officials said the new resolution could mention India’s growing concerns about the “humanitarian crisis” and thousands of Indian students caught in the crossfire in Ukraine, prompting a rethink in New Delhi.
On Saturday night, German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock spoke with External Affairs Minister Jaishankar in an attempt to persuade the Modi government to join the coalition.
“We must all work together to isolate Russia.” FM Baerbock discussed this with her Indian colleague, Dr. Jaishankar. “It is necessary to speak out with one voice around the world: Russia’s President Putin is the aggressor and has broken international law and the European peace order,” the German Foreign Ministry stated emphatically.
Russia expresses gratitude to India
Meanwhile, the Russian Embassy in India tweeted that it “very appreciated India’s independent and balanced position at the United Nations Security Council voting on February 25,” and commended India for its “continuous partnership.” Officials from the Ministry of External Affairs declined to comment on how India will vote on the future resolutions when asked, instead stating that all votes will be based only on the content of each document.
The emergency session is needed, according to representatives from the United States and Albania, who are the “penholders” on the resolution on Ukraine, “taking into account that the lack of unanimity of its permanent members at the 8979th meeting has prevented it from exercising its primary responsibility for the maintenance of international peace and security.”
The phrasing of the Sunday meeting’s agenda suggests that Western countries may request that the UNGA convene or summon a “Uniting for Peace” resolution, and agree to tough sanctions against Russia until it declares a ceasefire and pulls its soldiers out of Ukraine. When Russia continuously opposed resolutions seeking to sanction military action against North Korea, a similar resolution 377A was enacted in 1950.
Analysts have noted, however, that UNGA resolutions lack the “teeth” of UNSC resolutions, citing an emergency session held in December 2017 to condemn the United States’ decision to relocate its embassy to Jerusalem, in which as many as 128 countries, including India, voted against the US, while only 9 voted in favor, demonstrating the vote’s limited impact.