Melnyk predicts consequences for countries that do not vote to support Ukraine at UN General Assembly
Three Ukrainian resolutions adopted by the General Assembly in December were a success for Ukraine, but the diplomatic situation at the UN platform is becoming more complicated and requires non-standard solutions, Permanent Representative of Ukraine to the UN Аndrii Melnyk believes.
He said this to Ukrinform while commenting on the voting on General Assembly resolutions on the return of children abducted by Russia, overcoming the consequences of the Chornobyl disaster, and human rights violations in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine.
According to Melnyk, the achieved result is optimal given the increasingly difficult conditions both at the front and on the diplomatic level.
At the same time, Melnyk acknowledged that support for Ukraine at the UN is decreasing in quantitative terms.
"We need to honestly admit: the situation for Ukraine at the UN platform will continue to become more difficult," he said. According to him, at the beginning of the full-scale war Ukrainian resolutions received more than 140 votes, whereas now "the highest result is barely close to one hundred".
"This is a serious problem. It would be a mistake to embellish things and say that everything is great," he stressed.
He noted that Ukraine needs to quickly find "creative, bold and even tough decisions" in order to change the voting dynamics and restore the level of support.
According to the diplomat, some states deliberately abstain or do not participate in voting, trying to avoid political risks.
"If you do not vote for us, then we perceive all other options as voting against us," Melnyk said, stressing that Ukrainian resolutions concern "issues of war and peace, black and white," rather than neutral topics.
He emphasized that such a position will have consequences for states that for years abstain or vote against. "This is of fundamental importance for us. We cannot afford to simply 'take note' of such a position," the diplomat said.
According to Melnyk, the normalization of Russia's aggressive policy through tacit consent at the UN poses a serious threat to the entire international system. "The risk is that aggression may become the rule rather than the exception," he emphasized.
Melnyk added that the diplomatic front is an integral part of the overall struggle. "This front stretches from Pokrovsk and Kupiansk, across the ocean, and runs here, at the UN," he noted.
As Ukrinform reported, on December 3 the UN General Assembly adopted the resolution "Return of Ukrainian Children"; on December 11, "Strengthening of international cooperation and coordination of efforts to study, mitigate and minimize the consequences of the Chernobyl disaster"; and on December 18, "Situation of human rights in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine, including the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol."