Ukraine rejects UN resolution over new world map showing Crimea separated from the country
Photo: A new world map showing Crimea separated from Ukraine (X.com/KiraInCongress)
Ukraine refused to support a UN resolution on a new world map. The reason was the “Equal Earth” cartographic projection, which depicts Ukraine’s temporarily occupied territories in an unacceptable way, according to the Ukrainian delegation to the UN and a post by Ukrainian lawmaker Kira Rudik.
Why Ukraine opposed it
The Ukrainian delegation explained that Ukraine does not fundamentally object to the resolution’s main idea — creating a more accurate and scientifically grounded representation of the size of continents, particularly Africa and other regions of the Global South. The problem lies with the specific “Equal Earth” projection referenced in the text.
According to the delegation, the projection depicts parts of Ukraine occupied by Russia in a way that violates the principles of sovereignty and territorial integrity. They stressed that this also contradicts all UN General Assembly resolutions concerning Ukraine’s territorial integrity and the non-recognition of Russia’s attempted annexation of Crimea.
According to the Ukrainian side, Kyiv tried to reach a compromise with the authors of the resolution over the wording, but those efforts were unsuccessful.
Photo: A new UN world map “separates” Crimea from Ukraine (X.com/KiraInCongress)
What it could mean
The Ukrainian delegation warned that an attempt to correct historical distortions in the way continents are represented should not create new problems. According to the delegation, ambiguous wording could “open a Pandora’s box” by effectively contributing to distortions of the political map of the world.
That is why Kyiv called on other delegations to take the issue seriously and consider the potential risks when voting.
Lawmakers react
Ukrainian lawmaker Kira Rudyk reacted sharply to the situation.
“Ukraine could not support the UN resolution on a 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.
The UN General Assembly had previously supported an initiative by African countries to more accurately represent the size of continents on world maps.
The initiative calls for moving away from the traditional Mercator projection, created in 1569, which significantly distorts the relative size of territories — particularly making Africa appear much smaller.
Supporters of the initiative argue that the issue goes beyond cartography, saying that the familiar underrepresentation of Africa has affected perceptions of the continent’s importance. At the same time, US President Donald Trump also opposed the new projection.
