Russia vetoes UNSC resolution on Ukraine conflict
Russia vetoed a draft UN Security Council resolution on Friday that would have deplored Moscow's military operation in Ukraine.
The US-drafted measure, which demands the immediate, complete and unconditional withdrawal of the Russian troops in Ukraine, was approved by 11 members. Most notably, China, abstained. So did two U.S. allies, India and the United Arab Emirates, in a disappointment for the US.
The Security Council vote came after increased economic sanctions the Biden administration imposed on Russia on Thursday and on Putin himself on Friday which had been augmented by a series of measures by the European Union.
The five permanent members of the UN Security Council (Russia, the United States, France, the United Kingdom and China) have the right to veto any resolution that they do not approve.
Any resolution in the UN Security Council requires the approval of at least nine of the 15 members of the General Assembly, provided that none of the five permanent members opposes it.
Russia, which currently holds the rotating Security Council presidency, will likely face another vote on a similar resolution before the wider UN General Assembly which could be passed by a substantial margin, although it would be non-binding.
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