United Nations passes resolution calling on Russia to pay reparations to Ukraine
The vote to get Russia to pay reparations was led by the United States and other NATO member states.
The United Nations General Assembly passed a resolution on Monday calling on Russia to pay Ukraine reparations.
Passing with 94 countries voting in favor, 73 abstentions, and 14 opposed, including Russia and China, the international body also called for the creation of an “international mechanism” for the payment of reparations.
In the resolution, the General Assembly reiterated its commitment to “sovereignty, independence, unity and territorial integrity of Ukraine” and demanded that Russia “immediately cease its use of force against Ukraine” by “completely and unconditionally” withdrawing its military from the country’s territory.
The countries leading the resolution included the United States, United Kingdom, and European Union nations. The resolution follows a resolution last month calling on all U.N. member states to refrain from recognizing territory seized by Russia, which the resolution referred to as an “attempted illegal annexation.”
Since the onset of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in late February, NATO member states have sent thousands of troops to countries bordering Russia and funnelled billions in monetary support and military assets to Ukraine, with the U.S. leading the pack with more than $9.8 billion in assistance.
The invasion of Ukraine also prompted sanctions against the Russian economy, which has exacerbated severe energy shortages and inflation in European economies, especially those dependant on Russian energy.
The move prompted European Union member states to redistribute profits from the sale of fossil fuels to offset energy costs incurred on the public.
At the recent COP27 climate conference, United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called on all member states to tax the “windfall profits of fossil fuel companies” that have reaped the benefits of the increasing energy costs, suggesting that they be redirected towards “people struggling with rising food and energy prices and to countries suffering loss and damage caused by the climate crisis.”
He made his suggestions alongside a broader call for member states of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) to end the use of coal by 2030, followed by all other nations by 2040, stating that China and the United States have a duty to commit to the plan.
Guterres’ call for an end of coal extraction and consumption comes as many European nations have reverted to coal energy as a result of the natural gas shortage caused by sanctions on Russian energy.
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