Ukraine in the Soviet Union (1945–1991) Ukraine signed the Charter of the
United Nations as the
Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic on 26 June, 1945, and it came into force on 24 October, 1945. Ukraine was among the first countries that signed the
United Nations Charter, becoming a
founding member of the United Nations among 51 countries, being the only Soviet Socialist Republic to do so alongside the
Byelorussian SSR. This provided the Soviet Union (a permanent
Security Council member with veto powers) with two additional votes in the
General Assembly.
Dmitry Manuilsky, head of the Ukrainian delegation at the United Nations Conference on International Organization, held in April–June 1945 in
San Francisco, was elected Chairman of the First Committee, which elaborated the Preamble and Chapter 1 (Purposes and Principles) of the United Nations Charter. Until 1958, the permanent mission of Ukraine was led by the
Minister of Foreign Affairs rather than the permanent representative. Another right that was granted but never used until 1991 was the right of the Soviet republics to secede from the union, which was codified in each of the
Soviet constitutions. Accordingly, Article 69 of the
Constitution of the Ukrainian SSR stated: "The Ukrainian SSR retains the right to willfully secede from the USSR." However, a republic's theoretical secession from the union was virtually impossible and unrealistic in many ways prior to
Gorbachev's
perestroika reforms.
Independent Ukraine (since 1991) During the events of the
dissolution of the Soviet Union, on 26 August, 1991, the Permanent Representative of the Ukrainian SSR,
Hennadiy Udovenko, informed the office of the
Secretary General of the United Nations that his permanent mission to the international assembly would officially be designated as representing Ukraine. Since 1992, Ukraine has consistently supported peaceful, negotiated settlements to disputes. It has participated in the
multilateral talks on the
conflict in Moldova and promoted a peaceful resolution to
conflict in the post-Soviet state of Georgia. Ukraine also has made a substantial contribution to
UN peacekeeping operations. On March 27, 2014, the UN adopted
Resolution 68/262, entitled Territorial integrity of
Ukraine, by the
sixty-eighth session of the United Nations General Assembly in response to the
Russian annexation of Crimea. The non-binding resolution, which was supported by 100
United Nations member states, affirmed the
General Assembly's commitment to the
territorial integrity of Ukraine within its internationally recognized borders and underscored the invalidity of the
2014 Crimean referendum. Eleven nations voted against the resolution, while 58 abstained, and a further 24 states were absent when the vote took place. • Res. 72/190, 19 December 2017, "Situation of human rights in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol, Ukraine." • Res. 73/194, 17 December 2018, "
Problem of the militarization of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol, Ukraine, as well as parts of the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov." • Res. 73/263, 22 December 2018, "Situation of human rights in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol, Ukraine." • Res. 74/17, 9 December 2019, "Problem of the militarization of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol, Ukraine, as well as parts of the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov." • Res. 74/168, 18 December 2019, "Situation of human rights in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol, Ukraine." • Res. 75/29, 7 December 2020, "Problem of the militarization of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol, Ukraine, as well as parts of the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov." • Res. 75/192, 16 December 2020, "Situation of human rights in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol, Ukraine." • Res. 76/70, 9 December 2021, "Problem of the militarization of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol, Ukraine, as well as parts of the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov" • Res. 76/179, 16 December 2021, "Situation of human rights in the temporarily occupied Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol, Ukraine" • The
United Nations General Assembly Resolution 77/229, 15 December 2022, titled "Situation of human rights in the temporarily occupied Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol, Ukraine"
Related UNSC resolutions • On 27 February 2022, the
United Nations Security Council Resolution 2623 called for the
eleventh emergency special session of the United Nations General Assembly on the subject of the
Russian invasion of Ukraine. As of April 2025, the session is temporarily adjourned after more than 20 plenary meetings have been sat. •
Resolutions of the Eleventh emergency special session of the UNGA • The
United Nations Security Council Resolution 2774 was adopted on 24 February 2025. ==See also==