Meanwhile, Russia, as expected, vetoed a UN Security Council resolution on Friday that deplored “in the strongest terms” the country’s “aggression” against Ukraine and demanded the immediate withdrawal of its troops. Eleven of the council’s 15 members voted for the motion, which was co-written by the United States and Albania. China, India and the United Arab Emirates abstained.

The resolution was always doomed to fail because of Moscow’s veto power as a permanent member of the council.

However the debate offered member nations an opportunity to voice condemnation of President Vladimir Putin’s decision to launch a full-scale offensive against Russia’s neighbor.

“Let me make one thing clear,” US Ambassador to the UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield said after the vote. “Russia, you can veto this resolution, but you cannot veto our voices, you cannot veto the truth, you cannot veto our principles, you cannot veto the Ukrainian people.”

0