U.N. General Assembly vote sends clear message to Russia: The world is against the war in Ukraine

United Nations – The United Nations General Assembly voted overwhelmingly during an extraordinary emergency session on Wednesday to pass a resolution condemning Russia's military action against Ukraine. The resolution — which passed with 141 votes in favor, 35 abstentions and just five votes against — demands that Russia "immediately cease its use of force against Ukraine."

"Russia is preparing to increase the brutality of its campaign against Ukraine," U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Linda Thomas-Greenfield said before the vote. "We've seen videos of Russian forces moving exceptionally lethal weaponry into Ukraine, which has no place on the battlefield, that includes cluster munitions and vacuum bombs, which are banned under the Geneva convention."  

"The truth is that this war was one man's choice and one man alone: President Putin. It was his choice to force hundreds of thousands of people to stuff their lives into backpacks and flee the country. To send newborn babies into makeshift bomb shelters. To make children with cancer huddle in hospital basements, interrupting their treatment, essentially sentencing them to death. Those were President Putin's choices. Now it's time for us to make ours," Thomas-Greenfield said.