The Philippines joined 140 other countries at the United Nations General Assembly urging Russia to leave Ukraine, a year after President Vladimir Putin launched an invasion of the former Soviet republic.
“This resolution supported by the majority of the countries of the world shows the goal of this war. It states that Russia has to go out of Ukrainian territory,” Denys Mykhailiuk, chargé d’affaires of the Ukraine Embassy in Malaysia, said on the ANC news channel.
He said international order should be restored, as stated in the UN charter.
“This means that every state, no matter how big or small, has equal rights for its sovereignty, independence and peaceful life,” Mykhailiuk said.
The ambassadors of France and Germany thanked the Philippines for voting in favor of the resolution.
Aside from the Philippines, 140 countries voted in favor of the resolution, while 32 countries abstained. Seven countries stood against the adoption of the resolution, namely: Belarus, North Korea, Eritrea, Mali, Nicaragua, Russia, and Syria.
The Philippine vote was in line with the declaration of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. that the country will always be on the side of peace in Ukraine.
“We support any effort towards peace—anything. As long as the killing and the war will stop,” he said in January.
Early this month, President Marcos and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy spoke over the phone to discuss deepening the relationship between the Philippines and Ukraine.
Zelenskyy said he thanked Marcos for standing by Ukraine.
“Had the first phone call in the history of bilateral relations with President of the Philippines [Bongbong Marcos],” the Ukrainian leader wrote in a Twitter post.
“Thanked him for supporting [the] sovereignty [and] territorial integrity of [Ukraine]. We discussed further deepening of cooperation, in particular on international platforms,” the Ukraine leader said.
Friday marked the first year anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
French Ambassador to the Philippines Michèle Boccoz said rules-based international order was “at stake” in the UN vote.
“We are grateful to the Philippines for their vote at the UN General Assembly to support this rules-based international order,” Boccoz said.
German Ambassador to the Philippines Anke Reiffenstuel said Russian aggression was “against democracies worldwide” and a “threat to all countries.”
“Russia has violated the most elementary rule of the international order, that by making its war against Ukraine, it overall attacked the international rules-based order [that] all, including the Philippines, depend on for peace and stability,” Reiffenstuel said.
“Russia’s war is not just an aggression against Ukraine but an aggression against democracies worldwide. This is a threat to all countries because what is at stake is our countries’ independence and sovereignty.”