MOSCOW. March 28 (Interfax) - A number of countries apparently came under heavy pressure from Western states in the run-up to the UN General Assembly's vote on a draft resolution affirming Ukraine's territorial integrity, Russian Ambassador to the UN Vitaly Churkin told reporters.
"A very large number of countries complained that they were subject to colossal pressure on the part of Western powers in order to make them vote in favor of supporting this resolution. Obviously, this tactic of pressure, which has been used by our Western colleagues, had a certain effect, and some countries voted [in favor of the proposed resolution], albeit reluctantly," he said. Churkin's remarks were broadcast by Russia's Channel One television station.
The draft resolution, which was submitted by Ukraine with the help of Canada, Costa Rica, Germany, Lithuania and Poland, was supported by 100 nations at the UN General Assembly vote.
Eleven nations (Armenia, Belarus, Bolivia, Cuba, North Korea, Nicaragua, Russia, Sudan, Syria, Venezuela, and Zimbabwe) voted against, with 58 abstentions (among them China, Argentina, India, Brazil, Pakistan, Egypt, Senegal, Gabon, South Africa, and Kazakhstan).
"There is a clear tendency. Whereas some of our Western colleagues started to speak about Russia's isolation after the vote at the [UN] Security Council, here it is obvious that there is no isolation," Churkin said.