The United States voted against a resolution condemning Russia as the aggressor in Ukraine’s war, which passed the United Nations General Assembly on Monday, three years after Russia launched its full-scale invasion of the country.
Russia, Belarus, North Korea, Israel, and Hungary, where Prime Minister Viktor Orbán is a close ally of President Trump, were among the 17 countries that joined the United States in opposing the nonbinding measure. China and 64 other countries abstained.
Ukraine’s European allies were unanimously supportive. The resolution, which is an expression of the body rather than a binding action, signals a weakening of US political support for Ukraine under the Trump administration in favor of improved relations with Russia.
When asked about the vote in the Oval Office on Monday, Trump said he would rather not explain the reasoning behind it, calling it “self-evident.”
Trump has recently blamed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky for the war, which began when Moscow launched a full-scale invasion of the neighboring country on February 24, 2022.
Trump has also recently referred to Zelensky as a “dictator without elections,” and his top diplomats refused to blame Russian President Vladimir Putin over the weekend, causing a schism among traditionally hawkish Republicans over Moscow’s international aggression.
The resolution, titled “Advancing a Comprehensive, Just, and Lasting Peace in Ukraine,” passed the General Assembly with 93 votes in favor, 18 against, and 65 abstentions.
The resolution’s text calls for de-escalation, an early cessation of hostilities, and a peaceful resolution to the war against Ukraine.
The United States proposed a competing resolution with no mention of Russian aggression. The United States abstained from voting on its own resolution after text amendments were introduced. The resolution passed with 93 votes in favor, eight against, and 73 abstentions.
According to Secretary of State Marco Rubio, the U.S. resolution aligns with President Trump’s belief that the United Nations should prioritize maintaining international peace and security through peaceful dispute resolution.
Ambassador Dorothy Shea, acting head of the United States mission to the United Nations, stated before the vote that the language in Ukraine’s resolution is similar to previous resolutions that “have failed to stop the war.”
“It has now dragged on for far too long, and at far too terrible a cost to the people in Ukraine, in Russia and beyond,” Shea told reporters.
Shea, a former President Biden appointee, stated that the competing, US-backed resolution calls for an end to the conflict between Russia and Ukraine as soon possible.
“This is what is required right now, and we encourage all member states, including Ukraine and Russia, to join us in this effort. The General Assembly issued a simple, historic statement that looks forward rather than backward.A resolution focused on a single, simple idea: end the war. “A path to peace is possible.”
The confirmation of Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.), Trump’s nominee for ambassador to the United Nations, has been delayed due to a hold by Senate Democrats who oppose the president’s dismantling of the United States Agency for International Development and other disruptive federal government moves.
