The U.N. Security Council passed a procedural resolution Sunday to call a rare emergency special session of the General Assembly. The 193-member body will meet Monday morning to discuss the Russian invasion.
The draft resolution passed with 11 in favor, Russia against and three abstentions — China, India and the United Arab Emirates.
Ten such emergency special sessions have been convened in the past — including for sessions on Afghanistan in 1980, Congo in 1960 and the Israel-Palestinian conflict in 1997.
Because the vote was procedural in nature, the five permanent members — Russia, France, China, Britain and the United States — could not veto the resolution.
“Russia vetoed Friday’s resolution, but, as I have said before, Russia cannot veto our voices, Russia cannot veto the Ukrainian people and Russia cannot veto the U.N. Charter. Russia cannot and will not veto accountability,” said Linda Thomas-Greenfield, U.S. ambassador to the United Nations.
Emergency sessions can be considered within 24 hours “if the Security Council, because of lack of unanimity of the permanent members, fails to exercise its primary responsibility for the maintenance of international peace and security in any case where there appears to be a threat to the peace, breach of the peace, or act of aggression,” according to the United Nations.
Two days ago, Russia “single-handedly blocked the adoption” of a Security Council resolution that would have demanded that Moscow end its attacks on Ukraine, said Nicolas de Rivière, permanent representative of France to the United Nations, before the Sunday meeting. China, India and the United Arab Emirates had also abstained Friday.
“This Special Session is a necessary new step intended to defend the U.N. charter and international law, and put an end to the aggressions against Ukraine,” de Rivière said before the vote.
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