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UN Security Council calls for rare General Assembly meeting on Ukraine

Monday, 28 February 2022 12:59 AM [ Last Update: Monday, 28 February 2022 12:59 AM ]

File photo of the United Nations General Assembly’s interior

The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) calls for a “rare emergency” meeting of the UN General Assembly (UNGA) over the situation in Ukraine as the US and its Western allies keep up their efforts to target Russia before the world body.

The Council voted on Sunday in favor of the meeting of the 193-member General Assembly, Reuters reported. The resolution convening the Assembly was adopted with 11 yes votes.

Russia voted against it, but could not block the bid as the vote was “procedural” in nature. China, India, and the United Arab Emirates abstained.

On Thursday, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a “special military operation” aimed at “demilitarization” of the Donetsk and Lugansk Republics in eastern Ukraine.

The regions broke away from Ukraine in 2014 after refusing to recognize a Western-backed Ukrainian government that had overthrown a democratically-elected Russia-friendly administration.

More than 14,000 people have been killed so far across the regions as a result of the conflict that ensued between the Ukrainian military and the pro-Russian separatists.

Announcing the operation, Putin said the mission was aimed at “defending people who for eight years are suffering persecution and genocide by the Kiev regime.”

The UNGA session is to be held on Monday, and is expected to vote in favor of an anti-Russian resolution as early as Wednesday.

Moscow will not be able to sway its veto power at the General Assembly, whose resolutions are non-binding.

At the request of the Western allies, the Security Council has met four times so far to address the situation in Ukraine.

During a session on Friday, it tried to pass a United States- and Albania-drafted anti-Russia resolution.