What really influences United Nations voting on Ukraine?

In this paper, Alessia Amighini and Alicia Garcia-Herrero analyzed the voting patterns of world countries regarding the latest United Nations resolution condemning Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

In the case of Global South countries, economic ties, such as trade with Russia, played a significant role in countries' positions. Additionally, other factors such as defense cooperation agreements with Russia and membership in China's Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) also influenced voting decisions. This suggests that China's indirect support for Russia and its influence in the Global South through the BRI framework played a role in countries taking neutral positions in the vote.