Ghana voted in favour of a United Nations General Assembly resolution condemning Russian aggression on Ukraine by way of the recent annexation of four regions after a controversial referendum. Ghana was one of 143 nations that voted 'YES' with 35 'ABSTENTIONS' and five 'NO' votes. A UN statement on the vote read: "The results were 143 Member States in favour, with five voting against, and 35 abstentions. The countries who voted against were Belarus, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Nicaragua, Russia and Syria. "A majority of those countries abstaining were African nations, alongside China and India. "The resolution “defending the principles” of the UN Charter, notes that the regions of Donetsk, Kherson, Luhansk and Zaporizhzhia are temporarily occupied by Russia as a result of aggression, violating Ukraine’s territorial integrity, sovereignty and political independence," it added. The YES vote is consistent with Ghana's position that Russia must end the war it started on February 24, 2022 and to respect all territorial arrangements that existed prior to the commencement of hostilities. President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, whiles delivering his address at the 77th UNGA in September stressed that Russia had to end the war, especially because of the impact of the war on African economies. Foreign Affairs Minister, Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey on her part emphasized at a Security Council meeting that Ghana will not recognize the annexed Ukrainian regions as part of Russia. This is the second pro-Ukraine resolution Ghana has backed. The earlier one was in March, weeks after the war started, with Ghana voting to condemn Russian aggression on Ukraine. Ghana, Ukraine ties received a boost when Foreign Minister, Dmytro Kuleba, chose Ghana as the third stop of his African tour. He arrived in Accra on October 5 after similar stops in Dakar and Abidjan. The Ukrainian President, Volodymyr Zelensky, has spoken to a number of African leaders on the need to support their cause. The most recent African leader he engaged was João Lourenço of Angola. Ghana abstains in vote to suspend Russia from UN Human Rights body Ghana abstained from a vote that would have seen the suspension of Vladimir Putin's Russia from the U.N. Human Rights Council. The United Nations (UN) General Assembly voted on Thursday, April 7, to suspend Russia from the U.N. Human Rights Council over reports of "gross and systematic violations and abuses of human rights" in Ukraine. The resolution which took place on Thursday, April 7, 2022, received a two-thirds majority of members voting, minus abstentions, in the 193-member Assembly, with 93 nations voting in favour and 24 against. SARA