A resolution supported by Europe’s leadership for Ukraine that demanded its quick withdrawal on Monday was approved by the UN General Assembly, which is a political victory for Ukraine on the fourth anniversary of the invasion. However, the US-backed resolution calling for an end to the war—without directly mentioning Moscow’s aggression—was rejected, aligning with criticism from the Trump administration.
Resolutions are used as measures of international attitude despite lacking constitutional authority, so the results dealt a political blow to the Trump presidency at the UN General Assembly.
Deputy Ambassador Dorothy Shea and the US diplomatic corps had urged Ukraine to remove their resolution in favor of the British plan.
The council included three German amendments to the US words, which made clear that Russia had violated the UN Charter by occupying its neighbor, while Ukraine kept its position.
Following Russia’s violation of UN Charter rules regarding national sovereignty and territorial integrity, Ukrainian deputy foreign secretary Mariana Betsa highlighted her country’s self-defense right.
” As we mark three years of this disaster- Russia’s complete conquest against Ukraine- we call on all nations to remain firm and to consider… the side of the Charter, the side of humanity and the side of only and lasting peace, peace through strength”, she said, the Associated Press reported.
India was among the stopped
Simply 93 countries appeared to be backing Ukraine’s resolution, with 18 opposing votes and 65 abstentions, which was a decrease from the previous votes, when over 140 nations had condemned Soviet actions.
India was also one of the 65 nations who abstained from casting ballots on the solution, which was supported by Europe and demanded instant withdrawal from Ukraine.
This was in line with the Assembly’s earlier vetoes from a resolution denouncing Russia.
What is the US-backed solution
The initial US quality avoided blatantly naming Russia as the attacker in the original, which was simple. It called for” a sharp end to the conflict and more calls for a lasting peace between Ukraine and Russia” and acknowledged” the tragic loss of life sustained throughout the Russia-Ukraine issue.”
However, Russia’s UN ambassador, Vassily Nebenzia, welcomed the initial US resolution and proposed an amendment that would include the phrase “including by addressing its root causes” so the last line of the US resolution had read, “implores a swift end to the conflict, including by addressing its root causes, and more urges a lasting peace between Ukraine and Russia”.
What is the Ukrainian resolution
In response, France’s UN ambassador, Nicolas De Riviere, backed by over 20 European countries, proposed three amendments to more accurately reflect the situation in Ukraine.
These amendments replaced” Russia-Ukraine conflict” with “full-scale invasion of Ukraine by the Russian Federation”, reaffirmed Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, and called for a just and lasting peace in line with the UN Charter.
The Ukraine-backed resolution, in contrast, directly referred to” the full-scale invasion of Ukraine by the Russian Federation” and reinforced previous UN General Assembly resolutions condemning Russia’s actions.
It specifically demanded that Russia “immediately, completely, and unconditionally withdraw all of its military forces from the Ukraine’s territory within its internationally recognized borders.”
In addition, the resolution stressed the “urgent need to end the war this year,” and called for a peaceful resolution to the conflict.
