Nepal has voted in favour of a UN resolution on the Ukraine crisis at a rare United Nations General Assembly.

Nepal was among the 141 members who voted against Russian invasion of Ukraine. Five voted against. There were 35 abstentions, including India and China, according to the UN.

The resolution “deplores in the strongest terms the aggression by the Russian Federation against Ukraine in violation of Article 2 (4) of the Charter”.

It also demands that the “Russian Federation immediately cease its use of force against Ukraine and to refrain from any further unlawful threat or use of force against any Member State”.

The UN Security Council had voted on Sunday to call for a rare emergency special session of the 193-member UN General Assembly on Russia's military operation in Ukraine.

Earlier Tuesday night, the Nepali delegation to the United Nations called on Russia and Ukraine to resume dialogue to give peace a chance.

In his statement in New York, Amrit Rai, Nepal’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, said Nepal opposes any threat or use of force against the territorial integrity and political independence of any sovereign country.

“Return to the path of peace is never late,” said Rai.

Also on Tuesday night, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken called on Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba.

“Good call today with Nepal’s Prime Minister @SherBDeuba to discuss Russia’s unprovoked attack and our support for Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity,” Blinken tweeted after his telephone call with Deuba.

“Spoke with US Secretary of State @SecBlinken and discussed Nepal’s poverty alleviation, development & issue of climate change,” Prime Minister Deuba wrote on Twitter. “We appreciate 75 years of continued US support for our progress. We also discussed Russia's invasion of Ukraine & our support for Ukraine's sovereignty.”

After Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine on February 24, Kathmandu was quick to respond, saying Nepal opposes any use of force against a sovereign country in any circumstance and believes in peaceful resolution of disputes through diplomacy and dialogue.

“Nepal views that the principles of sovereignty and territorial integrity as enshrined in the UN Charter are sacrosanct and must be fully respected by all member states,” the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement.

On Monday, Nepal voted in favour of Ukraine’s call at the UN Human Rights Council for an urgent debate on the situation in Ukraine and to condemn Russia’s military operation.

According to the UN Human Rights Council, 29 nations including Nepal voted in favour of holding an urgent debate on the situation in Ukraine. Five nations—China, Cuba, Eritrea, Russian Federation and Venezuela—voted against holding an urgent debate, with 13 abstentions, including India. Nepal is a member of the UN Human Rights Council.

A Foreign Ministry official told the Post on Tuesday that in line with Nepal’s February 24 statement, Nepal will support the UN resolution condemning the attack carried out by Russia.

Nepal’s position this time is strikingly different from that of either India or China, two giant neighbours between which it is sandwiched.

Unlike in 2014, when Kathmandu chose to abstain from voting on the UN resolution on Crimea annexation by Russia, the Foreign Ministry this time chose to make a straightforward position on the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Just as the UN General Assembly prepared to vote, some foreign policy observers and diplomats had made an appeal to the Nepal government to vote in favour of the UN resolution on Ukraine.

“Consistent with Nepal's commitment to UN Charter, I strongly urge @SherBDeuba @MofaNepal @NepalUNNY @amritrai555 to vote to CONDEMN (not to abstain) Russian invasion of Ukraine at the ongoing Emergency Special Session of the @UN General Assembly on Russian invasion of Ukraine,” Kul Chandra Gautam, former UN assistant secretary-general and deputy executive director of UNICEF, wrote on Twitter on Monday, just as the special UN General Assembly meeting convened.

“I personally condemn all unilateral military actions or sanctions not approved by @UN. Russian aggression is exceptionally blatant, unprovoked, contrary to UN Charter, not supported by any other country except its vassal Belarus and unbecoming of a totally isolated P-5 Power,” Gautam added. “[I] hope Nepal will not abstain again as it did in 2014 and in Myanmar.”

In June last year, Nepal abstained during the voting on a resolution condemning Myanmar’s military junta and calling for a stop to the flow of arms to the Southeast Asian country.

Nepal’s abstention from voting on a crucial resolution adopted against the atrocities committed by the junta in Myanmar had raised questions, as Nepal is a member of the UN Human Rights Council.