The United Nations General Assembly on Wednesday voted overwhelmingly to condemn Russia's attempted annexation of four Ukrainian regions.
A total of 143 countries supported a resolution that called Moscow's move illegal, deepening Russia's international isolation, news agencies reported.
"Today, the overwhelming majority of the world—nations from every region, large and small, representing a wide array of ideologies and governments—voted to defend the United Nations Charter and condemn Russia’s illegal attempt to annex Ukrainian territory by force," Biden said in a statement after the vote.
He added that "143 nations stood on the side of freedom, sovereignty, and territorial integrity, even more than the 141 nations that voted in March to unequivocally condemn Russia’s war against Ukraine."
He noted that only four nations, Belarus, North Korea, Nicaragua, and Syria, "chose to side with Russia."
'Russia cannot erase sovereign state from map'
Biden said in his statement that "by attacking the core tenets of the UN Charter, Russia is tearing at the very foundations of international peace and security."
He added: "The stakes of this conflict are clear to all—and the world has sent a clear message in response: Russia cannot erase a sovereign state from the map. Russia cannot change borders by force.
"Russia cannot seize another country’s territory as its own. Ukraine is entitled to the same rights as every other sovereign country. It must be able to choose its own future, and its people must be able to live peacefully inside its internationally recognized borders."
Nearly eight months into the war, the world "has just demonstrated that it is more united, and more determined than ever to hold Russia accountable for its violations," Biden said.
Russia's 'attempt at annexation is worthless': Ukraine's Zelensky
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in a tweet that he
was grateful to the 143 states that supported the General Assembly's "historic"
resolution.
He added that Russia's "attempt at annexation is worthless and will never be recognized by free nations."
Russia's 'sham referenda are illegal': Polish UN envoy
Poland's ambassador to the United Nations, Krzysztof Szczerski, earlier this week called on member states to vote in favour of the resolution to denounce Russia's attempt to annex Ukrainian territory.
Addressing a special session of the UN General Assembly on Monday, Szczerski, said: "The Polish position is clear: the sham referenda are evidently illegal. They cannot produce any legal effect, and they cannot lead to any binding action."
He added that "the non-recognition of the Russian policy of fait accompli is a pre-condition for diplomacy to work and for peace talks to begin."
Russian President Vladimir Putin in late September signed documents to incorporate four regions of Ukraine into Russia at a televised ceremony in the Kremlin.
The move came after Russia held what it called referendums in occupied areas of Ukraine and declared the annexation of the Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions.
Thursday is day 232 of Russia's war on Ukraine.
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Source: PAP, whitehouse.gov