U.N. General Assembly condemns Russia's actions in Ukraine

NEW YORK -- The U.N. General Assembly voted 100 to 11 with 58 abstentions to call the mid-March referendum in Crimea illegal, to support Ukraine sovereignty and independence, and to reject Russia's use of force to alter its borders.

But the Russian Federation is only mentioned in the resolution with regard to the international agreements between the former Soviet Union (the Helsinki Final Act) to refrain from the use of force, and the Russian Federation (the Budapest Memorandum) to respect Ukraine's sovereignty in exchange for its surrender of its nuclear weapons.

"We have always said that Russia had legitimate interests in Ukraine," said U.S. Ambassador Samantha Power. "It has been disheartening in the extreme to see Russia carry on as if Ukrainians have no legitimate interests in Crimea, when Crimea is a part of Ukraine."

Although the resolution is not binding, it sends a message to Russia that the world condemns its actions at a time that the U.S. and other Western nations are concerned that Russia may make additional military moves into eastern Ukraine.

Before the General Assembly vote, Russia had worked to persuade allies and trading partners to oppose or abstain from the vote. Russia vetoed an earlier U.N. Security Council draft resolution, but it was notable that China, which often sides with Russia in global diplomatic crises, did not go along with the Russian veto, but opted to abstain instead.

Russia has argued that, because they don't recognize the Kiev government as legitimate, prior agreements don't hold. But a senior Western diplomat said, "That is a completely false argument because these agreements are between states not governments."