The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) on Thursday, 24 March, approved a resolution by Ukraine and its Western allies blaming Russia for the humanitarian crisis in Ukraine, with 140 countries voting in favour, five against, and 38, including India, abstaining.
The 193-member body had taken up the draft resolution, called the 'Humanitarian consequences of the aggression against Ukraine,' at its 11th Emergency Special Session on Thursday.
The five countries that voted against the resolution were Russia, Belarus, North Korea, Eritrea, and Syria.
'Draft Resolution Did Not Reflect India's Focus'
Explaining the reasons behind India's abstention, TS Tiumurti, India's Permanent Representative to the UN, said, "India abstained on the resolution since what we require now is to focus on cessation of hostilities and on urgent humanitarian assistance. The draft resolution did not fully reflect our expected focus on these challenges," PTI reported.
He also added that the UN should contribute to the de-escalation of the conflict, facilitate immediate cessation of hostilities to promote dialogue and diplomacy, and bring together parties to find an immediate end to the suffering of people.
Emphasising that India was deeply concerned regarding the humanitarian crisis in Ukraine, Tirumurti said that several civilians had died and around 10 million people had been displaced from their homes in Ukraine.
"Women, children and (the) elderly are disproportionately affected by the prolonging of this conflict," Tirumurti said.
India's abstention on Thursday was the country's sixth in the UN regarding the Ukraine crisis. Five of the six abstentions were on resolutions sponsored by Western countries, whereas one was sponsored by Russia and its allies.
On Wednesday, 12 UN Security Council members, including India, had abstained from voting on a resolution by Russia on the Ukraine crisis.
The resolution did not pass as it did not get the required nine votes in favour. Russia and China were the only two countries that voted for the resolution.
(With inputs from PTI.)
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