UN resolution to demand Russian withdrawal from Ukraine
The United Nations General Assembly voted on Thursday, January 23, on the eve of the first anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, in favor of a nonbinding resolution calling for an end to the war and demanding that Russia leave Ukrainian territory.
El Salvador was one of 32 nations that abstained from voting; From Latin America, Cuba, and Bolivia were the other nations that abstained, and Nicaragua voted against it. The resolution finished with 141 votes in favor, 7 against, and 32 abstentions.
El Salvador has consistently abstained from voting on previously proposed resolutions to condemn the Russian invasion of Ukraine in March and April 2022. The Bukele administration has stayed neutral since the conflict started in 2022.
The February 2023 vote in favor was slightly less than the highest total of the five previous resolutions passed by the 193-member world body regarding the Russia/Ukraine conflict. The highest vote was for an October 2022 resolution in which 143 countries voted against Russia’s illegal annexations of Ukraine’s territory.
One day after El Salvador abstained from voting in the UN resolution for the withdrawal of Russian troops from Ukraine, twelve diplomatic representatives in El Salvador launched a joint message in San Salvador.
David Lelliott, UK Ambassador in El Salvador, tweeted a message standing in front of a Ukrainian flag along with ambassadors and diplomats representing the European Union, Costa Rica, Spain, Uruguay, South Korea, Germany, France, Italy, Guatemala, Colombia, Peru, and the United Kingdom.
Today, on the anniversary of the large-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine, ambassadors of different countries gathered in San Salvador, in the presence of the Ukrainian flag, to show solidarity.” David Lelliott, UK Ambassador in El Salvador.
The message of support by the UK Ambassador in El Salvador was not the only one. “To defend Ukraine is to defend democracy and freedom. Russia’s unprovoked aggression against Ukraine has caused the death of thousands of innocent Ukrainians. We join our voices to say that this war must stop,” Tweeted the US Embassy in San Salvador.
US ambassador to El Salvador, William H. Duncan, also sent a message of support to Ukraine; “One year after the Russian invasion, the United States remains steadfast in its commitment to Ukraine’s sovereignty and united with democracies around the world in its support for a lasting and just peace for the Ukrainian people.”
The Spanish ambassador to El Salvador, Carlos de la Morena Casado, referred to the principles “that all democratic States must defend” while indicating that Russian aggression contravenes values such as peace. “Defending democracy, peace and freedom is everyone’s duty. We are with Ukraine!” Spain embassy in El Salvador.
Neither President Bukele nor members of his administration have made any public remarks regarding the armed conflict in Ukraine. However, many organizations and individuals that oppose the Bukele administration are calling on the President to release a statement denouncing Russia.
Thousands of people have already died a year after Russian troops entered Ukraine; this number will most likely increase as Russia continues the war actions inside Ukrainian territory.
