The tide of world opinion appears to be turning significantly against Russia, with several non-aligned countries joining the US and its allies in criticizing Moscow's war in Ukraine and threats to the fundamentals of the international rules-based system.
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Since invading Ukraine in February, Western leaders have often stated that Russia has become isolated. But, until lately, that was mostly wishful thinking. However, a large portion of the international community expressed opposition to the conflict on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday in a rare show of unity at the frequently fragmented United Nations.
Even before Thursday's UN addresses, the tide appeared to be shifting against Russian President Vladimir Putin. At a high-level session last week in Uzbekistan, Chinese and Indian leaders criticized the war. The United Nations General Assembly then ignored Russia's objections and overwhelmingly voted to authorize Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to be the only leader to address the gathering remotely rather than in person.
This trend toward Russia accelerated after Putin declared on Wednesday the deployment of an extra 300,000 troops to Ukraine, indicating the impossibility of a speedy end to the war. Putin also hinted at the possibility of using nuclear weapons. This came after Russia announced its plan to organize referendums in various seized Ukrainian areas on whether they will become a part of Russia.
These statements happened at the same time as the United Nations General Assembly, widely regarded as the most important gathering on the world political calendar, was taking place in New York.
On Tuesday and Wednesday, several foreign leaders used their remarks to condemn Russia's war. This trend continued Thursday in both the assembly chamber and the usually deeply divided United Nations Security Council.
The apparent shift in thinking gives Ukraine and its Western allies hope that increased isolation will put more pressure on Putin to come to a peace deal.
However, few are overly optimistic. Putin has placed his legacy on the Ukraine conflict, and few believe he will back down. And Russia is far from isolated. Many of its allies rely on Russia for energy, food, and military help, and they are likely to back Putin no matter what happens in Ukraine.
But it was striking to hear Russia's putative allies, China and India, reiterate their severe concerns about the crisis and its implications on global food and energy shortages, as well as challenges to the U.N. Charter's concepts of territorial sovereignty and integrity.
Brazil had similar reservations. Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa comprise the so-called BRICS bloc of countries, which has frequently resisted or overtly opposed Western initiatives and viewpoints on international relations.
Only Belarus, a non-council participant and Russian ally, invited to attend, spoke in support of Russia but also called for a stop to the conflict, which it described as a "tragedy."
"We hear a lot about country differences at the United Nations," remarked Secretary of State Antony Blinken. But what has recently surprised me is how united the member nations are in the face of Russia's aggression against Ukraine.
Leaders from developing and developed countries, large and small, North and South, have spoken at the General Assembly about the effects of the war and the need to put it to a stop."
Even other countries with close links to Moscow have expressed publicly their doubts and worries about President Putin's protracted invasion, Blinken continued.
Chinese Foreign Minister was careful not to criticize the war but stated that "the territorial and sovereignty integrity of all countries should be respected."
According to India's External Affairs Minister, "the trajectory of the Ukraine issue is a source of significant concern for the international community."
And, according to Carlos Alberto Franca, Brazil's Foreign Minister, quick measures to halt the war are necessary.
"Russia's actions are clear violations of the United Nations Charter," Albanian Foreign Minister Olta Xhacka remarked.
Unsurprisingly, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov was both unapologetic and defensive, explicitly targeting Zelenskyy. Lavrov referred to Zelenskyy as "a bastard," citing a phrase typically attributed to President Franklin D. Roosevelt but added that Western leaders regard him as "our bastard."
He emphasized Russia's long list of concerns about Ukraine and blamed Western countries for utilizing Ukraine for anti-Russian activities and policies.
Russia has rejected being isolated, and the foreign ministry has recently used social media to promote a series of apparently friendly encounters between Lavrov and foreign minister peers at the UN.
Nonetheless, Blinken and his NATO colleagues grasped what they perceive to be growing hostility to and irritation with Putin.
Moreover, other speakers, especially Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba and British Foreign Secretary James Cleverly, noted that Lavrov had not attended the meeting except for his speaking slot.
"I note that Russian ministers flee almost as swiftly as the Russian military," Kuleba remarked, referring to Lavrov's hasty departure as well as previous Russian troop withdrawals from Ukraine.
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