General Assembly 'demands' Russia withdraw from Ukraine

The UN General Assembly has overwhelmingly adopted a resolution that "demands" Russia "immediately" withdraw from Ukraine, in a powerful rebuke of Moscow's invasion by the global body charged with peace and security.

After more than two days of extraordinary debate, 141 out of 193 member states voted for the non-binding resolution. China was among the 35 countries which abstained, while just five voted against it.

The resolution "deplores" the invasion of Ukraine "in the strongest terms" and condemns President Vladimir Putin's decision to put his nuclear forces on alert.

Before the vote, Ukraine's ambassador to the United Nations accused Russia of seeking to commit genocide in his country.

"They have come to deprive Ukraine of the very right to exist," Sergiy Kyslytsya told the Assembly ahead of a vote on a resolution demanding Russia withdraw its forces from the eastern European country.

"It's already clear that the goal of Russia is not an occupation only. It is genocide."

Russia's envoy Vassily Nebenzia, speaking shortly after, accused Ukraine of "rampant neo-Nazism" and the West of using "open and cynical threats" to persuade other countries at the UN to vote in favour of the resolution.

He said Russia only wants to stop a separatist conflict in Donbas, in eastern Ukraine.

The resolution, led by European countries with the support of Ukraine, is non-binding but would serve as a powerful rebuke of Moscow's attack on Ukraine.

Russian President Vladimir Putin launched the full-scale invasion of Ukraine on 24 February. Moscow has pleaded "self-defence" under Article 51 of the UN Charter.

But that has been roundly rejected by Western countries who accuse Moscow of violating Article 2 of the Charter, requiring UN members to refrain from the threat or use of force to resolve a crisis.

Meanwhile, the US is imposing additional sanctions on Russia and Belarus, the White House said this afternoon.

"The United States will take actions to hold Belarus accountable for enabling Putin's invasion of Ukraine, weaken the Russian defence sector and its military power for years to come, target Russia’s most important sources of wealth, and ban Russian airlines from US airspace," the White House said.