The UN General Assembly on Monday approved a European-backed Ukrainian resolution demanding Russia’s immediate withdrawal, marking a significant diplomatic victory for Ukraine on the third anniversary of the invasion. In contrast, the US-backed resolution, which called for an end to the war without explicitly mentioning Moscow’s aggression, was rejected. This outcome aligned with opposition from the Trump administration.
The result represented a diplomatic setback for the Trump administration at the UN General Assembly, where resolutions serve as indicators of global sentiment despite lacking legal force. The US diplomatic corps, including Deputy Ambassador Dorothy Shea, had urged Ukraine to withdraw their resolution in favor of the American proposal.
Ukraine maintained its position, while the assembly incorporated three European amendments to the US text, explicitly stating Russia's violation of the UN Charter through its invasion of its neighbor. Ukrainian Deputy Foreign Minister Mariana Betsa emphasized her nation's self-defense rights following Russia's breach of UN Charter principles regarding national sovereignty and territorial integrity.
"As we mark three years of this devastation - Russia's full invasion against Ukraine - we call on all nations to stand firm and to take ... the side of the Charter, the side of humanity, and the side of just and lasting peace, peace through strength," she stated, as reported by the Associated Press.
Support for Ukraine appeared to wane, with only 93 nations backing its resolution alongside 18 opposing votes and 65 abstentions. This marked a decrease from previous votes where over 140 countries had condemned Russian actions. India was also among the 65 countries that abstained from voting on the Europe-backed resolution that called for just and lasting peace, and the immediate withdrawal of Russian forces from Ukraine. This was in line with its earlier abstentions in the Assembly on resolutions condemning Russia.
The original US resolution was brief and avoided explicitly naming Russia as the aggressor. It acknowledged the tragic loss of life throughout the Russia-Ukraine conflict and urged a swift end to the conflict, further urging lasting peace between Ukraine and Russia.
Meanwhile, Russia’s UN ambassador, Vassily Nebenzia, welcomed the original US resolution and proposed an amendment to add the phrase "including by addressing its root causes," so the final line of the US resolution would read, "implores a swift end to the conflict, including by addressing its root causes, and further urges a lasting peace between Ukraine and Russia."
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 territory of Ukraine within its internationally recognized borders.
The resolution also called for de-escalation, an early cessation of hostilities, and a peaceful resolution to the war while emphasizing the urgent need to end the war this year.
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