Bangladesh abstains from voting on UN resolution against Russia

The United Nations General Assembly adopted a resolution that calls for Russia to pay war reparations to Ukraine on Monday. Bangladesh and 72 other nations abstained from voting while some 94 countries voted in favour of the resolution, and 14 against.

The vote took place in the morning as the ambassadors met to resume their emergency special session devoted to the conflict.

Ukrainian ambassador Sergiy Kyslytsya presented the resolution and insisted that Russia must be held accountable for its violations of international law.

“Seventy-seven years ago, the Soviet Union demanded and received reparations, calling it a moral right of a country that has suffered war and occupation,” he said.

“Today, Russia, who claims to be the successor of the 20th century’s tyranny, is doing everything it can to avoid paying the price for its own war and occupation, trying to escape accountability for the crimes it is committing,” he added, seeking support from the member states in favour of the resolution.

Apart from Bangladesh, countries that abstained from voting include India, Bhutan, Brazil, Egypt, Indonesia, Israel, Nepal, Pakistan, South Africa and Sri Lanka. Countries that voted against the resolution included China, Belarus, Cuba, North Korea, Iran, Russia and Syria.