Emergency UNGA special session on Ukraine likely Monday

The UN Security Council is due to vote to call for a rare emergency special session of the 193-member UN General Assembly on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which would be held on Monday, diplomats said in a Reuters report.

The vote by the 15-member council is procedural so none of the five permanent council members – Russia, China, France, Britain and the US — can wield their vetoes. The move needs nine votes in favor and is likely to pass, diplomats said.

Only 10 such emergency special sessions of the General Assembly have been convened since 1950.

The request for a session on Ukraine comes after Russia vetoed on Friday a draft UN Security Council resolution that would have deplored Moscow’s invasion.

China, India and UAE abstained, while the remaining 11 members voted in favor.

The General Assembly is expected to vote on a similar resolution following several days of statements by countries in the emergency special session, diplomats said. General Assembly resolutions are non-binding but carry political weight.