UNITED NATIONS, 25 Feb (AFP) -- Russia, as expected, vetoed a UN Security Council resolution on Friday (Feb 26) that "deplores in the strongest terms" the country's "aggression" against Ukraine and demanded the immediate withdrawal of its troops.

Eleven of the council's 15 members voted for the motion, which was co-written by the United States and Albania.

China, India and the UAE abstained.

The resolution was always doomed to fail because of Moscow's veto power as a permanent member of the council.

Still, the debate offered the chamber an important opportunity to voice its condemnation of President Vladimir Putin's decision to launch a full-scale offensive against Russia's neighbor.

"Let me make one thing clear," US Ambassador to the UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield said after the vote. "Russia, you can veto this resolution, but you cannot veto our voices, you cannot veto the truth, you cannot veto our principles, you cannot veto the Ukrainian people."