Key points
- The UNSC has adopted a US-drafted resolution on Ukraine
- US has twice sided with Russia in votes at the UN
- The UK and France, abstained in the vote
UNITED NATIONS: The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) on Monday adopted a US-drafted resolution on the third anniversary of the war in Ukraine as US President Donald Trump seeks to broker an end to the conflict.
BBC reported that the US has twice sided with Russia in votes at the UN, highlighting the Trump administration’s change of position on the war.
First the two countries opposed a European-drafted resolution condemning Russia’s actions and supporting Kyiv’s territorial integrity, which was approved by the UN General Assembly (UNGA) in New York, according to BBC.
Then they backed a US-drafted resolution at the UN Security Council calling for an end to the war but containing no criticism of Moscow.
The UNSC resolution was passed but two key US allies, the UK and France, abstained in the vote after their attempts to amend the wording were vetoed.
“Russia-Ukraine conflict”
The competing resolutions were tabled as French President Emmanuel Macron visited President Donald Trump at the White House in an attempt to address their sharp differences over the conflict.
On Thursday, British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer will likewise visit the new American leader, BBC reported.
That rift was laid bare on the floor of the 193-member UNGA on Monday as US diplomats pushed their limited resolution mourning the loss of life during the “Russia-Ukraine conflict” and calling for a swift end to it.
European diplomats tabled a more detailed text, blaming Moscow for its full-scale invasion, and supporting Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, according to BBC.
“We need to reconfirm that the aggression should be condemned and discredited, not rewarded,” said Ukrainian Deputy Foreign Minister Mariana Betsa.
UNGA members backed the European resolution by 93 votes but, extraordinarily, the US did not abstain but actually voted against it, along with Russia, Israel, North Korea, Sudan, Belarus, Hungary and 11 other states, with 65 abstentions.
The UNGA also passed the US resolution but only after it was amended to include language supporting Ukraine, which led to the US abstaining.
