Serbia voted in favor of the European resolution on Ukraine at the United Nations General Assembly yesterday.
However, Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić said he believes they made a mistake and should have abstained.
“I think Serbia made a mistake today, I apologize to the citizens for that and I bear the blame for it myself, because I guess I’m tired and burdened and can’t get everything done,” Vučić told Happy TV.
He added that Serbia abstained on the American resolution proposal and that it “voted exactly right”, stating that in his opinion it should have abstained on the European resolution as well.
“And as you can see, I’m saying this at a time when it’s quite clear that I’m going to lose favor or political points in the EU because of this. I think Serbia had to abstain. I have no one else to blame but myself, I didn’t have time to deal with it enough,” Vučić said.
He assessed that Serbia had “held out in the most difficult possible situation” for three years when it came to not imposing sanctions on Russia, and added that Serbia’s position “will not be destroyed by one, two or three resolutions, Klix.ba writes.
The United Nations General Assembly adopted a resolution proposed by Ukraine, sending the international community a strong message of support for the country’s sovereignty.
Russia proposed an amendment to the US draft resolution in the United Nations General Assembly, which asked to add the phrase “including addressing its root causes” to the text after the phrase “rapid end to the conflict”. This amendment was not adopted. 31 countries voted for the Russian amendment, 71 were against, while 59 countries abstained.
Bosnia and Herzegovina voted against this amendment, which was also the case with the countries of the European Union. As for the countries in the region, they all voted against the Russian amendment, while Serbia did not vote.
A Russian amendment to add wording to the US draft resolution calling for a “swift end to the conflict, including the resolution of its root causes,” was not adopted. 31 countries voted for, 71 against, and 59 countries abstained.
The General Assembly adopted two amendments proposed by EU countries to the US draft resolution entitled “The Path to Peace”.
The first amendment involves the addition of a new paragraph reaffirming the commitment to the sovereignty, independence, unity and territorial integrity of Ukraine within its internationally recognized borders, including its territorial waters.
The second amendment deals with changing the wording “lasting peace between Ukraine and the Russian Federation” to “just, lasting and comprehensive peace between Ukraine and the Russian Federation, in accordance with the UN Charter and the principles of sovereign equality and territorial integrity of States”.
The General Assembly then adopted the resolution proposed by the United States, including the EU amendments.
93 countries voted in favour, eight against (Belarus, Burkina Faso, North Korea, Mali, Nicaragua, Niger, Russia, Sudan), while 73 countries abstained.
After the vote, delegations began to present their arguments for or against the adopted resolutions.
The resolution proposed by the United States calls for a “rapid end to the conflict and further emphasizes the need for lasting peace between Ukraine and the Russian Federation.”
The resolution proposed by Ukraine, supported by its European allies, demands the immediate withdrawal of Russian forces from Ukrainian territory. It also emphasizes the need to respect Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.
The existence of these conflicting resolutions highlights the different approaches of the United States and European countries to the path to peace in Ukraine.
The United Nations General Assembly is holding an emergency session starting this morning. The UN Security Council will hold an afternoon session to discuss the situation in Ukraine and vote on a US-drafted resolution aimed at ending the three-year war.
