Russia fails in bid for secret UN vote

Russia has failed in its bid to force a secret ballot on its illegal annexation of parts of Ukraine at the UN General Assembly.
A large majority of the 193 UN members voted in favour of a public vote on a draft resolution at the start of an emergency session on the matter before the UN's largest body.
The UN General Assembly began deliberations on Monday on Russia's recent annexations of parts of Ukraine in violation of international law.
At the end of the session, which could drag on until Wednesday due to a large number of speakers, member states are expected to vote on a resolution condemning Moscow.
Russia had already campaigned in advance for a secret ballot - apparently in the hope of a better outcome.
Unlike the Security Council, UN General Assembly resolutions are not binding under international law. The upcoming vote in New York is seen as a global test of sentiment regarding the Ukraine war.
Western diplomats stressed that every UN member state would have to have a vested interest in condemning Russia in order not to become a victim of illegal incorporation by a neighbouring state itself.
On the other hand, observers have for some time been seeing war fatigue among a number of states, especially in Africa and Latin America. Some of them find that the Ukraine war distracts from other regional conflicts and global crises and blocks progress.