
Explainer: Why No UN Peacekeepers In Ukraine?
In an effort to lessen the pain caused by Russia’s unannounced invasion of Ukraine, many UN agencies are mobilizing. However, because Russia is one of the five permanent members of the UN Security Council and has veto power, there is only a deadlock there. Experts argue that in addition to vetoing a UN Security Council resolution denouncing its invasion, Russia has also exploited the body to disseminate misinformation from the Kremlin, including extensively debunked allegations of biological laboratories supported by the United States in Ukraine.
Geopolitical Situation in Ukraine
Beyond the fact that Ukraine is the second-largest state in Europe and that the majority of its territory is on the East European Plain, Ukraine is significant. In Europe, its geopolitical location is crucial. According to official records, the founding of the Kievan Rus, which brought Eastern Slavs together, marks the foundation of Ukraine. The rulers battled successfully against neighboring tribes and managed to establish their dominance in the area, allowing the country to begin expanding. The region was on the western flank of Russia, Belorussia, and the central and western regions of modern-day Ukraine.
International Relations and Decision-Making Process
In response to Russian President Vladimir Putin’s actions, which U.S. President Joe Biden denounced as a “war criminal” on March 16, as well as the Security Council’s initial response, calls for reform have been made. One European defense minister has even suggested that the UN be abolished, raising doubts about the organization’s suitability to uphold international peace and security.
Additionally, some UN observers expect years of stagnation ahead, akin to the worst of the Cold War’s days, given the impasse in the Security Council. Richard Gowan, UN director at the International Crisis Group think tank, told RFE/RL that the present crisis is the most concerning example of a longer-term trend at the Security Council that essentially pits Russia and its partner China against the West.
The UN Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres, stated, “The message of the General Assembly is loud and clear.” “Cease hostilities immediately in Ukraine. Now silence the weapons. Now is the time to initiate conversation and diplomacy.” Following the General Assembly decision, U.S. Ambassador to the UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield remarked, “This is an extraordinary moment.” “The United Nations is facing more challenges today than it has in the past. If the UN is to serve any function, it is to stop, denounce, and prevent war.”
Comparative Analysis With Previous UN Peacekeeping Deployments
“This is the biggest challenge that the United Nations has ever faced,” says Mark Malloch-Brown, a former UN deputy secretary-general and current president of the Open Society Foundations, a private organization that funds non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and is supported by philanthropist and investor George Soros. At a virtual conference organized by the International Peace Institute on March 11, Malloch-Brown stated that Russia’s “brazen crime of aggression” poses a “threat to the post-1945 order.” “This isn’t simply another conflict. This is a battle that is rocking and shattering systems, with far-reaching effects that go well beyond the sorrow of the loss of life and property in Ukraine.” The identical resolution was rejected by the Security Council but approved by the General Assembly, whose resolutions are mostly symbolic rather than legally enforceable and no nation has the ability to veto them.
Humanitarian Impact And Global Security Implications
For a considerable amount of time, the Security Council has been headed toward irrelevance. More than ten years have passed since the United States and Russia first became embroiled in a Security Council impasse over Syria.
China has frequently supported Russia in these vetoes, which the country has used 17 times since 2011 on matters pertaining to Syria, according to Gowan. Russia voted alone in the UN Security Council on February 25, the day after it invaded Ukraine, to reject a resolution denouncing its conduct.
China abstained, and as this occurred only weeks after Beijing and Moscow announced a “no limits” relationship, it was seen as a diplomatic victory for the West. The resolution denouncing Russia’s conduct was adopted by 141 votes to five on March 2, during a special session devoted to Ukraine. Only North Korea, Syria, Eritrea, and Belarus backed Moscow. 35 nations chose to abstain.
Conclusion
With an overwhelming vote of 143 in favor, 5 against, and 35 abstention, the resolution was carried. Resolution ES-11/1, the first resolution on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which called for Russia to remove its military from the country, received less votes than this one, which condemned Russia’s conduct.