United States opposition to a European-drafted United Nations resolution that condemned Moscow’s full-scale invasion has sparked anger on both sides of the Atlantic.
At the U.N. General Assembly on Monday, the U.S. joined Russia and Moscow’s closest ally Belarus, as well as North Korea, in opposing a resolution condemning Moscow’s war against Ukraine.
In another vote in the 15-member U.N. Security Council (UNSC), Russia and the U.S. approved an American-backed resolution calling for a swift end to the conflict. It avoided labeling Russia as the aggressor or acknowledging Ukraine’s territorial integrity.
Acting U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Dorothy Shea said the Washington-backed resolution “puts us on the path to peace,” but many former officials, and even a serving Republican senator, lined up to condemn the American motions.
Newsweek has contacted the U.S. State Department for comment.
Why It Matters
The votes coincided with the third anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion and, while nonbinding and so largely symbolic, illustrates a growing divide between the U.S. and Kyiv’s other allies as President Donald Trump upends American support for Ukraine.
What To Know
Some 93 countries backed the 193-member General Assembly resolution, which expressed concern over Russia’s full-scale invasion and its consequences for Ukraine and international security. It called for de-escalation, a ceasefire and Moscow’s withdrawal from Ukrainian territory.
But rather than abstaining, the U.S. surprisingly opposed the motion, joining 17 other countries, including Russia, Israel, North Korea, Sudan, Belarus, and Hungary.
The U.S. proposed a resolution that omitted references to Russian aggression or Ukraine’s territorial integrity and urged a swift end to the conflict. Russia used its permanent member status to veto European attempts at stronger language.
Former Belgian Prime Minister Guy Verhofstadt described it on X, formerly Twitter, as a “shameful moment in US history.”
Former U.S. Ambassador to Russia Michael McFaul was among those who condemned the American vote as “one of the most shocking foreign policy events of my lifetime.”
Another former diplomat, Steven Pifer, ex-U.S. envoy to Kyiv, posted on X: “how appalling was US vote on UN resolution on just, lasting peace to settle Russia Ukraine war?”
Republican Senator John Curtis (R-UT) said on X that he was “deeply troubled by the vote at the UN today which put us on the same side as Russia and North Korea.”
Former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley did not criticize the U.S. vote directly but posted on X that “we must choose a side, and it should never be the side of dictators.”
Jim Townsend, deputy assistant secretary of defense for European and NATO Policy from 2009 to 2017, told BBC program Newsnight that it was “shameful.”
Julianne Smith, former U.S. ambassador to NATO during the Biden administration, told U.K. TV program Channel 4 News that the U.S. vote was “tough to swallow,” especially after the former president led countries in their support for Kyiv under the Ukraine Defense Contact Group. Also, former White House official David Axelrod dubbed the U.N. vote as “a disgrace.”
What People Are Saying
Acting U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Dorothy Shea said: “This resolution puts us on the path to peace. It is a first step, but a crucial one – one of which we should all be proud.”
Jim Townsend, former U.S. deputy assistant secretary of defense for European and NATO policy, told the BBC: “I can’t think of any other word than shameful.”
Julianne Smith, former U.S. ambassador to NATO, told Channel 4 News: “Seeing the United States … siding with Russia at the three-year anniversary is very tough to swallow.”
What Happens Next
Following talks with his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron, Trump reiterated a pledge to end the war quickly, saying this could happen “within weeks.” However, the U.S. president’s approach to mediation has left Ukraine and its European allies concerned that they would be cut out of talks to end the war.