President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of Ukraine has thanked Kenya for her vote at the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) amid the ongoing crisis with Russia.
In the message shared at 2am on Saturday, February 26, President Zelenskyy noted that members of the UN Security Council had made a crucial vote aimed at stopping the war.
"Grateful to all members of the UN Security Council Albania, Brazil, France, Gabon. Ghana, Ireland, Kenya, Mexico, Norway, the UK and the US voted to stop Russia's treacherous attack on Ukraine and UN Charter.
"The veto of Russia is a bloodstain on its plaque in the Security Council, the map of Europe and the world. The anti-war coalition must act immediately!" President Zelenskyy, who has refused to be evacuated from Kyiv amid the attack by Russia, stated.
On Friday night, February 25, one of the UN Security Council’s 15 members voted in favour of the aggressor, China, India, and the United Arab Emirates abstained.
The UN, in a statement stated that a ‘NO’ vote from any one of the five permanent members of the Council stops action on any measure put before it.
The Security Council’s latest attempt to end the Ukraine crisis caps a week of activity at the United Nations seeking a diplomatic offramp to Russian military action in the country, including near-daily press stakeouts by the Secretary General, three emergency Council sessions, and one meeting of the 193-member General Assembly, which saw speaker after speaker called for de-escalation.
During the vote on Friday night, Russia vetoed a draft UN Security Council resolution that would have deplored Moscow's invasion of Ukraine.
The message by President Zelenskyy comes during a week when Kenya made a powerful statement on Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
Ambassador Martin Kimani Kenya's Permanent Representative to the UN outlined the country's position on the Ukraine-Russia conflict during an emergency Security Council meeting on Monday, February 21.
Amb Kimani affirmed that Kenya strongly opposed the undermining of sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine by Russia.
In his speech, the Ambassador raised grave concerns over Russia recognising the Donetsk and Luhansk regions of Ukraine as independent states, arguing that this was tantamount to leading to a full-blown conflict.
Amb Kimani drew reference to how other African countries solved their territorial issues, urging the two nations to embrace diplomacy instead of choosing to go to war.
