THE first anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine brought two significant proposals: one, a further UN general assembly resolution drafted by Ukraine in consultation with allies; the other, China’s 12-point peace plan.

Both call for a ceasefire, and both call for compliance with the UN sovereignty principle; beyond that the overlap is limited.

The UN resolution demands the immediate withdrawal of Russian troops but falls short of specifically calling for peace talks. A non-binding resolution, it was passed by 141, with 32 abstaining and seven against. As with previous UN votes on Ukraine, the large developing countries abstained — India, China, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Iran were joined by Cuba and most of the Central Asian states, with nearly half of the African states not giving their backing.