Ukraine has won a nonpermanent seat on the United Nations Security Council, giving the country a new platform to spar diplomatically with permanent veto-wielding member Russia.
Four other countries -- Egypt, Japan, Senegal, and Uruguay -- were also elected to nonpermanent seats on the 15-member council during 2016 and 2017.
All five countries ran unopposed.
Ukraine won the mandate to represent Eastern European countries on the council.
Officials in Kyiv had vowed during the election campaign to stand up to the veto power of Russia, which Ukraine says is waging a war against it in its eastern regions.
The two-year mandate for the five countries begins on January 1, 2016.
They are replacing five outgoing nonpermanent members -- Lithuania, Chile, Jordan, Chad, and Nigeria.
The UN Security Council is comprised of 15 members, including the five permanent veto-wielding members Russia, China, Britain, France, and the United States.
