UN Security Council adopts US-drafted resolution on Ukraine war, Russia vetoes European attempt to amend it

The United Nations Security Council on Monday adopted a US-drafted resolution marking the third anniversary of Russia’s war in Ukraine, calling for an end to the conflict without explicitly mentioning Russia’s aggression.

The resolution, which softens the UN’s long-held stance on the war as former US President Donald Trump seeks to broker peace, received 10 votes in favour, while the remaining five members–including France and Britain–abstained.

Earlier on Monday, the UN General Assembly rejected a US-drafted resolution, which was later passed only after being amended to state that the conflict stemmed from a “full-scale invasion of Ukraine by the Russian Federation.”

The General Assembly also adopted a European-backed Ukrainian resolution demanding the immediate withdrawal of Russian troops and condemning Moscow’s aggression as a violation of the UN Charter.

In a striking shift under President Donald Trump, the United States joined Russia in voting against the European resolution. The final vote stood at 93-18, with 65 abstentions–signalling a decline in support for Ukraine, as previous assembly votes had seen over 140 nations condemn Russia’s actions and call for an immediate withdrawal.

India abstained from voting on this resolution.

The Assembly then considered the US resolution, which acknowledged “the tragic loss of life throughout the Russia-Ukraine conflict” and called for a swift end to hostilities and a lasting peace. However, it notably omitted any reference to Moscow’s aggression.

In an unexpected move, France proposed three amendments, backed by multiple European nations, explicitly stating that the war resulted from Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. These amendments reaffirmed the Assembly’s support for Ukraine’s sovereignty, independence, unity, and territorial integrity while calling for peace in line with the UN Charter.

Russia also introduced an amendment urging consideration of the “root causes” of the conflict.

All the amendments were approved, and the resolution was ultimately adopted with a vote of 93-8, with 73 abstentions. Ukraine voted in favour, the US abstained, and Russia opposed it.

The UN resolutions came amid rising tensions between the US and Ukraine after Trump unexpectedly launched negotiations with Russia to hasten a resolution to the conflict, leaving European leaders and Ukraine excluded from last week’s preliminary talks held in Riyadh.

Escalating his rhetoric, Trump labelled Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy a “dictator,” falsely accused Kyiv of starting the war, and warned that he must “move fast” to negotiate peace or risk losing his country, to which Zelenskyy responded by accusing Trump of being trapped in a “Russian-made disinformation space”.

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