The reaction to russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022 was condemnation by the vast majority of world leaders, with some condemning the russian president personally for authorizing the military action. Some leaders welcomed the invasion, while others saw it as a result of a NATO provocation.
The Center for Countering Disinformation at the NSDC of Ukraine provides a map with the reaction of the international community to russia’s invasion of Ukraine:
Countries that have condemned the invasion are marked in light blue.
Black color indicates countries that remain neutral.
Orange – countries that blame the invasion on NATO provocation.
Gray – countries that did not respond.
Ukraine is in blue.
Red – russia.
Reaction of intergovernmental and international organizations:
1. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said that the russian invasion was “the saddest moment of my tenure” and called on putin to withdraw his troops “in the name of humanity.” On February 25, the UN Security Council failed to adopt a resolution condemning russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Of the 15 member states of the Security Council, 11 supported and 3 abstained from voting. The resolution was rejected due to russia’s veto.
It should be noted that russia, while remaining a permanent member of the UN Security Council, is supposed to ensure peace and security in the world, and at the same time invades the territories of other states.
2. The African Union – the Chairperson of the African Union Commission, Moussa Faki, and the Chairperson of the African Union and President of Senegal, Macky Sall, called on russia and “any other regional or international actor to respect international law, territorial integrity and national sovereignty of Ukraine as a matter of urgency” and called on both sides of the conflict to immediately establish a ceasefire and immediately begin political negotiations.
3. The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) – Foreign Ministers of the Association expressed serious concern over the tension between russia and Ukraine, calling for maximum restraint and dialogue.
4. The Baltic Assembly issued a statement “strongly condemning russia’s invasion of Ukraine”.
5. The Caribbean Community issued a statement condemning the invasion of Ukraine and demanding the “immediate and complete withdrawal” of russian troops from Ukraine.
6. Council of Europe – the Committee of Ministers adopted a resolution that “condemns in the strongest possible terms the armed attack on Ukraine”, calls on russia to “immediately and unconditionally cease its military operations” and will consider “measures to be taken in response to the serious violation by the russian federation of its statutory obligations as a member state of the Council of Europe”.
7. European Union – President Ursula von der Leyen tweeted: “We will not allow president putin to destroy Europe’s security architecture,” and Foreign Policy Chief Josep Borrell called on putin to stop his “senseless aggression.” European Parliament President Roberta Metsola called for “immediate firm and swift action” and convened an extraordinary session of the parliament for March 1.
8. International Criminal Court – The Chief Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, Kareem Ahmad Khan, issued a statement warning that “any person who commits such crimes, including by ordering, inciting or otherwise facilitating the commission of these crimes, may be held accountable before the Court, with full respect for the principle of complementarity. It is essential that all parties to the conflict respect their obligations under international humanitarian law.”
9. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg condemned the attack and called it a “serious violation of international law.” In a separate statement, he announced his intention to deploy defense forces and condemned Belarus for facilitating the attack.
10. The Nordic Council – President Erkki Tuomioja condemned the invasion as “completely unjust” and stated that it “contradicts both international law and the European security order”.
11. The Organization of American States issued a statement condemning the invasion as an affront to humanity and an attack on civilized international relations.
12. The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development – the Council of the Organization officially terminated negotiations with russia on accession and ordered to close the OECD offices in moscow.
Thus, most countries, intergovernmental and international organizations have condemned russia’s criminal invasion of Ukraine. The russian-Ukrainian war has shown free democratic countries that the aggressor will not be satisfied with the territory of Ukraine, but seeks to continue its offensive against Western Europe.
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