The 4 countries supporting Putin's invasion of Ukraine

A United Nations General Assembly vote has left Russia increasingly isolated on the international stage after it demanded an immediate end to the invasion of Ukraine.

The motion calling for the withdrawal of all occupying forces was backed by 141 countries during an emergency session in New York on Wednesday.

Resolutions of the General Assembly are not legally binding, but carry political weight by showing the strength of international feeling, and the result further diplomatically isolates Russia at the UN.

Britain had been lobbying behind the scenes for nations to back the motion, which deplored Russian “aggression” in the “strongest terms” and demanded the total withdrawal of Russian president Vladimir Putin’s forces.

Speaking after the vote, the UK prime minister Boris Johnson said: “Rarely has the contrast between right and wrong been so stark.

“We are united in our abhorrence to the evil actions of Putin’s regime and stand side-by-side on the international stage as we deplore its aggression in the strongest possible terms.”

The vote took place in the first emergency session of the assembly since 1997, which easily surpassed the two-thirds majority required to be approved.

Just four countries joined Russia in opposing the motion, while 35 nations abstained.

Who voted with Russia?

Belarus

Unsurprisingly, Belarus – headed by Putin supporter Alexander Lukashenko, backed Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Lukashenko is dependent on support from Moscow and he has previously spoken of agreeing with Putin over concerns of Ukraine’s growing closeness with the West and Nato.

The Belarusian president also leads a country where many identify closely with Russia, often choosing to speak Russian over the native language.

Belarus was also hit by EU sanctions last year due to human rights violations.

Watch: Boris Johnson: Putin's actions in Ukraine could be war crimes

Syria

Syria also voted with Russia at the UN, returning the favour of military support from Putin during the Syrian war in 2015.

Bashar al-Assad is a key ally of Putin and supportive air strikes helped the Syrian president’s battled against pro-democracy groups.

Moscow has two military bases in Syria, and more than 63,000 Russian military personnel have been deployed to Syria, according to Russian figures.

Eritrea

Eritrea, a country situated in north-east Africa, is led by Isaias Afwerki and his support for Russia is thought to be down to a desire to strike up a relationship with Putin in an attempt to support his hold on power.

Moscow has also invested into Eritrea, recently announcing plans to build a logistics centre at a port in the country.

Indeed, President Afwerki held talks with a Special Representative of Putin earlier this month, in which Russia underscored the co-operation between the two and a shared stance against what they regard as illegitimate sanctions.

North Korea

North Korea is the final country to have voted with Russia, in a move that will surprise no one.

The notoriously-secretive state, headed by Kim Jong-un, has never attempted to hide its anti-US sentiment and blames the West and Nato’s reach in eastern Europe for Putin’s invasion.

Who abstained?

A total of 35 countries abstained in the vote on Russia, including India, Pakistan and South Africa.

One notable abstention was Iran, who has historically been a key ally of Russian and Putin.

However it was China’s abstention who raised the most eyebrows, as it was they who were the most critical of the US and the West in the build up to the invasion of Ukraine.

China's assistant foreign minister Hua Chunying said the US was responsible for "fanning up flames” of an invasion in Ukraine.

A partnership between China and Russia seemed to be set but China also abstained in a UN security council vote condemning the invasion last month – suggesting Putin is not able to always rely on its powerful ally.

Rather than lend military support to Russia, China has also signalled its desire to act as mediators in the conflict, saying that it was “extremely concerned” about the harm to civilians.

China has been accused of asking Russia to delay its invasion until after the Winter Olympics – something Beijing described as “fake news”.

Wang Wenbin, spokesperson at the foreign ministry, said such practices of diverting attention and shifting blame are “despicable".

On Thursday, it was announced that athletes from Russia and Belarus will not be allowed to compete at the 2022 Winter Paralympics.