Ukraine war: which countries support Russia

Created: 03/08/2022 04:47

By: Sonja Thomaser

141 member states of the United Nations voted in favor of a resolution condemning Russia's attack on Ukraine and calling on Russia to end its aggression.

© Seth Little/dpa

The UN General Assembly condemns Russia's war in Ukraine.

Only four countries vote against.

What are their motivations?

New York - The UN General Assembly on Wednesday (March 2nd, 2022) overwhelmingly condemned Russia's attack on Ukraine.

When the voting result was read, there was thunderous applause, most members stood up - a moment of goosebumps.

Many took out their cell phones to photograph it: 141 countries agreed to the resolution, with Russia * there were only five no votes, and there were 35 abstentions.

Even optimistic diplomats did not expect such a result for the resolution, says UN observer Richard Gowan from the think tank “Crisis Group”.

UN General Assembly overwhelmingly condemns Ukraine war

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres then spoke of a clear message: "The people of Ukraine urgently need peace," he said after the vote.

"And people all over the world are demanding it."

In the text, the General Assembly condemned Russia's military operation in Ukraine and also the order by Russian President Vladimir Putin* to put the nuclear power's deterrent weapons on special alert.

The panel called on the Russian Federation to immediately end its use of force against Ukraine and to refrain from any further unlawful threat or use of force against any member state.

Ukraine War: Four countries support Russia

Nevertheless, experts emphasize not to raise expectations too high: Because the resolution will not disturb Putin.

Unlike Security Council resolutions, a resolution adopted by the General Assembly is not binding under international law.

Observers see it as a means of moral leverage.

Russia's UN Ambassador Wassilij Nebensja was still disgruntled.

Perhaps he, too, did not expect that even suspected allies would not heed his previous call: do not support this resolution.

His country will not change course in Ukraine*, Nebensja had emphasized.

Several countries under strong Russian influence did not vote at all, such as Venezuela and Uzbekistan.

Others abstained, such as India and Iran.

Serbia even voted for the resolution.

China* abstained – as before in the blocked vote in the Security Council.

Only Belarus, Syria, Eritrea and North Korea supported Russia and voted against the UN resolution.

All countries have a special relationship with Russia.

Belarus

The autocratically ruled state under controversial President Alexander Lukashenko is probably Russia's closest ally, and not just because of the long friendship between Lukashenko and Putin.

A treaty of friendship has linked Russia and Belarus since 1995.

The 1999 Treaty on the Russian-Belarusian Union also provided for political, economic, trade, financial, social and defense integration.

Vladimir Putin (right), President of Russia, and Alexander Lukashenko, President of Belarus, follow military exercises via video conference.

© Alexei Nikolsky/Pool Sputnik Kremlin/AP/dpa

Russia and Belarus are close allies, the Belarusian ruler Lukashenko is ultimately dependent to a certain extent on his eastern neighbor and the benevolence of Putin, for example when Belarus experienced a political and social crisis in 2020 after the allegedly falsified presidential election.

Without Putin's help, Lukashenko might no longer be in power.

The two countries held joint military maneuvers in Belarus.

Lukashenko admitted a few days after the invasion of Ukraine that Russian troops had attacked Ukraine from his country. 

Syria

For Syria, the West is clearly to blame for the war in Ukraine.

"What is happening today is a correction of history and a restoration of balance in the world," President Bashar al-Assad said in a phone call with Putin, showing understanding for the Russian attack on Ukraine.

According to Assad, NATO expansion is a threat to the whole world.

This is reported by the state news agency Sana Assad.

Putin is Assad's most important ally in the Syrian civil war*.

Thanks to Moscow and Tehran's help, the Syrian president's supporters now control around two-thirds of the country again.

Eritrea

Since 2020, Eritrea has been at war in the Tigray in northern Ethiopia.

Only in the fall of last year did US President Joe Biden* impose further sanctions on the country and now the state is threatened with further sanctions.

The Eritrean Research Institute for Policy and Strategy (ERIPS) fears that Eritrea could try to circumvent them with Russia's help.

In early February 2022, Eritrean President Isaias Afwerki met with a representative of Russia.

According to the ERIPS article, hardly any details from the meeting between Eritrea and Russia have become known, but "it was reported that the parties have criticized 'external interference and illegitimate sanctions'".

According to the Tagesspiegel, Russia has long been forging strategic alliances in Africa.

The Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) reported that Russia was already responsible for almost half of all arms imports to Africa in 2020.

North Korea

Even if one could assume that North Korea* simply voted against the UN resolution on principle, there is actually a connection between the two countries: In the Cold War, the Soviet Union was an important partner of North Korea.

Moscow gave economic and military support to the country.

At that time, the states worked closely together, Soviet scientists also helped North Korea to build up its nuclear program, reports the Tagesspiegel.

In addition, North Korean forced laborers in Russia were an important source of income for Pyongyang for a long time until it was banned in 2019.

North Korea had already made its position on the Ukraine conflict * clear in an official statement: "The root cause of the Ukraine crisis lies in the self-importance and arbitrariness of the USA".

So the common enemy also seems to be a factor in connecting the two countries.

(sot with dpa/afp)