The United Nations General Assembly has supported a resolution, drafted by Ukraine and the European Union, while it condemned Russia on the third anniversary of its full-scale invasion. It rejected a competing US resolution, which reflected Donald Trump’s growing divide with Europe and closer ties with Vladimir Putin.
The United States, Russia, Belarus, and North Korea voted against the EU-Ukraine resolution, it highlighted a remarkable shift in US policy since the president’s election, which has largely absolved the Russian leader of responsibility for the invasion.
On Monday, the US failed to convince the General Assembly to pass the same three-paragraph resolution adopted by the Security Council, according to Reuters. The resolution mourns the loss of life in the “Russia-Ukraine conflict”, reiterating the UN’s purpose is to maintain international peace and security and peacefully settle disputes and urged a swift end to the conflict and a lasting peace.
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The US proposal did not call for a ceasefire or any specific action, as it feared this would heighten resistance from both Russia and Ukraine. When asked by a reporter if the US was seeking “global support for vague peace,” a State Department official replied, “Absolutely. That’s what the UN is all about.” “This is a simple way to begin to acknowledge, and for everyone who agrees, that this is ending,” another official clarified, reported The Guardian.
According to the report, 93 countries voted for the joint European resolution, which designated Russia as an aggressor state and called for the withdrawal of its troops from Ukraine. At the same time, 18 nations, including the US and Russia, opposed it.
The vote took place as Trump met with Emmanuel Macron at the White House on Monday, where they joined G7 leaders to discuss peace talks aimed at ending the war and the widening divide between Washington and European capitals over the future of the NATO alliance.
The UN vote was preceded by a diplomatic scramble that saw both EU and US diplomats seeking to shore up support from countries in Africa, Asia and South America.
