US Joins Russia in Voting Against UN Resolution Condemning War in Ukraine

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The United States has made a surprising move by joining Russia to vote against a UN General Assembly resolution that condemns Russia’s war against Ukraine. This decision marks a significant shift from the US's previous stance on the issue, as it has traditionally been a strong supporter of Ukraine. The vote against the Ukrainian and European-backed resolution saw the US at odds with its longtime European allies and instead aligned with the aggressor in the war on the three-year anniversary of Moscow’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

The US again voted the same way as Russia later on a US-proposed UN Security Council resolution that did not call the Kremlin the aggressor or acknowledge Ukraine’s territorial integrity. The resolution passed without the support of five European members of the Security Council. This move has been met with criticism from European countries, with the UK's ambassador to the UN stating that there should be "no equivalence between Russia and Ukraine in how this council refers to this war". The US's shocking alignment with Russia at the United Nations came as the Trump administration has pursued discussions with Moscow about ending the war, with President Donald Trump ratcheting up his rhetoric towards Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

The European-backed General Assembly resolution was adopted with 93 votes in favor, noting "with concern the full-scale invasion of Ukraine by the Russian Federation has persisted for three years and continues to have devastating and long-lasting consequences not only for Ukraine, but also for other regions and global stability" and "calls for a de-escalation, an early cessation of hostilities and a peaceful resolution of the war against Ukraine". It also demands that Russia "immediately, completely and unconditionally withdraw all of its military forces from the territory of Ukraine within its internationally recognized borders". The US had introduced a rival General Assembly resolution, which did not call Russia the aggressor or acknowledge Ukraine’s territorial integrity, instead implores a swift end to the conflict and further urges a lasting peace between Ukraine and Russia.

The US introduced the same resolution at the Security Council, which passed with 10 votes in favor, including from Russia, and five abstentions after European efforts to delay the meeting failed. Proposed amendments to strengthen the language, which were added to the US General Assembly resolution, did not pass in the Security Council due to vetoes from Russia. Russian Ambassador to the UN Vasily Nebenzya commended the brief, three-paragraph US resolution as a starting point for future efforts toward a peaceful settlement, stating that "the text we passed is not an ideal one, but in essence, it is a first attempt to have a constructive and future-oriented product by the Council which is talking about the path to peace, rather than blowing the conflict up". The US charge d’affaires Dorothy Shea called the resolution’s passage the Security Council’s first action "to firmly call for an end to the conflict", and stated that "this resolution puts us on the path to peace, it is a first step, but a crucial one, one of which we should all be proud now we must use it to build a peaceful future for Ukraine, Russia and the international community", highlighting the importance of finding a peaceful solution to the conflict.

The votes came as Trump met the French president, Emmanuel Macron, at the White House on Monday and the two spoke with G7 leaders to discuss peace talks to end the war and the growing gulf between Washington and European capitals over the future of the Nato alliance. The US president has quickly moved to direct talks with Putin that have sidelined Ukraine and has sought to strongarm Kyiv into a "critical minerals and rare-earths deal" to recoup the cost of US war aid. The situation has sparked concerns among European countries, with Germany's likely next chancellor, Friedrich Merz, warning that Europe should seek greater independence from the US and stating that an "absolute priority will be to strengthen Europe as quickly as possible so that, step by step, we can really achieve independence from the USA".