Ambassadors from dozens of countries have backed a proposed UN resolution reportedly demanding that Russia immediately stop its war in Ukraine, withdraw its troops, and immediately seek a peaceful resolution.
The session of the UN General Assembly that began on February 28 was the first emergency sitting of the 193-member body in more than two decades and just the seventh in the United Nation's 77-year history.
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UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said after the session began with a minute of silence for the victims of the war that "the fighting in Ukraine must stop" and warned that the bloody fighting that has led more than 500,000 Ukrainians to flee across the country's borders could have dire consequences for the world at large.
"Enough is enough. Soldiers need to move back to their barracks. Leaders need to move to peace. Civilians must be protected," Guterres said.
Ukrainian Ambassador Serhiy Kyslytsya told the session that "if Ukraine does not survive...international peace will not survive."
"Have no illusions," Kyslytsya added. "We cannot be surprised if democracy fails next."
Earlier this week, a similar resolution was vetoed in the UN Security Council by Russia, which considers its invasion of Ukraine a "special military operation" launched to defend ethnic Russian residents of regions in eastern Ukraine.
Moscow-backed separatists have been fighting against Kyiv's forces in Ukraine's eastern regions of Luhansk and Donetsk since 2014.
Russian Ambassador Vassily Nebenziya argued in the session that "Russian actions are being distorted and thwarted."
The extraordinary meeting came the same day that the United States expelled 12 members of Russia's diplomatic mission to the United Nations for alleged espionage.
Nebenziya called the expulsions a "gross violation" of the UN agreement with the United States as the host of the United Nations and a violation of the Vienna Convention governing diplomatic relations.
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Nebenziya described the expulsion as a "hostile move" and said Moscow "totally rejected" Washington's claims that the diplomats were engaged in spying activities that harmed U.S. security.
The wording of the nonbinding resolution before the General Assembly was reportedly watered down to try to attract maximum support. It no longer "condemns" in the strongest terms Russia's aggression but "deplores" it. But should the resolution pass by a majority vote, it would widely be taken as condemnation of Russia's military actions in Ukraine.
Backers of the resolution hope for at least 100 votes in favor. Countries including Syria, China, Cuba, and India are expected to either support Russia or abstain.
During the February 28 session, Syrian Ambassador Bassam Sabbagh accused the West of having a double standard in calling an emergency session on the Ukraine crisis but not during "successive crises and major challenges that have confronted the international community for decades."
Indian Ambassador T.S. Tirumurti called for an immediate cessation of the hostilities in Ukraine, saying that there was "no other choice but to return to the path of diplomacy."
The General Assembly will reconvene on the morning of March 1 to continue its emergency special session.
Meanwhile, several diplomats, including from the United States, European Union, and the United Kingdom walked out of a session of the UN Human Rights Council in protest after Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov began a speech via video link.
Several media outlets with reporters present at the meeting in Geneva on March 1 said the boycott started when Lavrov's prerecorded video message began playing.
The walkout was similar to a boycott of a speech he gave at the Conference on Disarmament last week.