Ukraine has refused to support a UN resolution on a new world map. The reason was the cartographic projection "Rivna Zemlya", on which the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine are depicted in a way unacceptable to Kyiv. This is stated in the explanation of the Ukrainian delegations to the UN and a post by a member of parliament Kiry Rudyk.
As explained by the Ukrainian delegation, Ukraine does not object in principle to the main idea of the resolution - a more accurate and scientifically based depiction of the sizes of continents, in particular Africa and other regions of the Global South. The problem lies in the specific "Flat Earth" projection referred to in the text.
According to the delegation, this projection depicts the Russian-occupied parts of Ukraine in a manner that violates the principles of sovereignty and territorial integrity. They emphasized that it also contradicts all General Assembly resolutions on the territorial integrity of Ukraine and the non-recognition of the attempted annexation of Crimea.
According to the Ukrainian side, Kyiv tried to agree on a compromise wording with the authors of the resolution, but without success.
The Ukrainian delegation warned that an attempt to correct a historical injustice in the depiction of continents should not create new problems. According to it, an ambiguous interpretation of the text could “open Pandora’s box” — in effect contributing to the distortion of the political map of the world.
That is why Kyiv called on other delegations to take this issue seriously and take into account the risks during the vote.
MP Kira Rudyk reacted sharply to the situation.
"Ukraine could not support the UN resolution on the new world map because it depicts occupied Crimea in a way that separates it from Ukraine. In 2026, the UN should not need a reminder: Crimea is Ukraine," she wrote.
