United Nations: The United States voted alongside Russia on Monday against a resolution condemning Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, rejecting a text that was widely supported by the UN General Assembly. As U.S. President Donald Trump takes a new stance on the Ukraine war, ending a recent thaw in relations with Russia, a European-backed resolution marking the conflict’s third anniversary secured 93 votes in favor, 18 against, and 65 abstentions.
Washington sided with Moscow and its allies—Belarus, North Korea, and Sudan—to oppose the resolution. The text, which garnered significantly less support compared to previous resolutions on the war, strongly criticized Russia and emphasized Ukraine’s territorial integrity and the inviolability of its borders.
Amid an escalating feud between Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, Washington drafted a rival resolution. Russian Ambassador to the UN Vassily Nebenzia described the U.S. text as "a step in the right direction," reflecting the sudden rapprochement between Russia and the U.S. under Trump. However, France, a key U.S. ally, proposed amendments to the U.S. text and informed the General Assembly that it, along with other European countries including Britain, could not support the resolution in its current form.
These countries, all supporters of Ukraine, sought to reword the U.S. draft to explicitly state that Russia had carried out a "full-scale invasion of Ukraine." Hungary, led by Prime Minister Viktor Orban, who is seen as the most pro-Putin leader in Europe, voted against the amendments. The changes also reaffirmed a commitment to Ukraine’s territorial integrity, which had been omitted from the U.S. text.
The U.S. proposal was so heavily amended that Washington ultimately abstained from voting on its own resolution as the assembly passed it. Richard Gowan of the International Crisis Group noted, "Overall, the Europeans’ defensive tactics blunted a pretty crude U.S. diplomatic charge over the last few days. I think the U.S. likely miscalculated how many votes they could swing in a very short space of time."
The inviolability of Ukraine’s territorial integrity has been a cornerstone of previous UN resolutions, with the United States under former President Joe Biden among its strongest supporters. Ahead of the vote, U.S. envoy to the UN, Dorothy Shea, stated, "Neither these amendments, nor the resolution offered by Ukraine will stop the killing. The UN must stop the killing. We urge all Member States to join us in returning the UN to its core mission of international peace and security."
Following the vote, Ukraine’s Deputy Foreign Minister Mariana Betsa insisted that Kyiv maintains "a really good working relationship" with Washington, dismissing concerns that the U.S. maneuver had caused a rift in ties.
Security Council in the Spotlight: After the General Assembly vote, Washington is expected to bring its original, unamended resolution to a vote at the Security Council later on Monday. A State Department official warned that the U.S. would veto any amendments proposed by Russia or European countries.
UN rules stipulate that the U.S. and other permanent Security Council members cannot veto amendments brought to the General Assembly. To be adopted by the Security Council, a resolution requires at least nine votes from the 15 members and must not be vetoed by any of the five permanent members—the U.S., Britain, France, Russia, and China.
Even if EU members of the council—France, Slovenia, Denmark, and Greece, along with Britain—abstain, the U.S. resolution could still pass. This raises the question of whether France or Britain would be prepared to use their veto power for the first time in over 30 years.
French President Emmanuel Macron and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer are visiting the White House this week for key discussions on Ukraine. Gowan commented, "I do not see how Paris and London can support a text that is so far from their stated positions on Ukraine, but I also do not see how they can veto it."
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Sunday called for a peace that "fully upholds Ukraine’s territorial integrity" and respects the UN Charter.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
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