The Trump administration voted against a Ukraine-drafted resolution Monday condemning Russia for starting the war against its western neighbor, pitting the US against its European allies.
The UN General Assembly still adopted the resolution, which called for Russia to “immediately, completely and unconditionally withdraw all of its military forces” from Ukrainian territory and cease attacks on civilians and facilitate an exchange of prisoners, among other demands.
The US was one of 18 nations voting against the resolution, joining Russia, Moscow’s close ally Belarus, Burkina Faso, Burundi, the Central African Republican, North Korea, Equitorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Israel, Mali, the Marshall Islands, Nicaragua, Niger, Palau, and Sudan.
Another 93 nations voted to approve the resolution, with 65 abstaining.
“I would rather not explain it now, but it’s sort of self-evident,” President Trump told reporters when asked about the UN vote in the Oval Office, where he was hosting French President Emmanuel Macron.
Washington’s acting ambassador to Turtle Bay, Dorothy Shea, said the global body needed to enact “a simple, historic statement from the General Assembly that looks forward, not backwards. A resolution focused on one, simple idea: Ending the war. A path to peace is possible.”
The US followed up the Ukrainian resolution with one of its own, calling for a “swift end to the conflict and … a lasting peace between Ukraine and the Russian Federation.”
However, the US had to abstain from voting for its own resolution after a pair of amendments drafted by the EU were added to the measure.
The first amendment called for “reaffirming … the sovereignty, independence, unity and territorial integrity of Ukraine within its internationally recognized borders, extending to its territorial waters.”
The second amendment replaced the US call for a “swift end” and “lasting peace” with a demand for a “just, lasting and comprehensive peace between Ukraine and the Russian Federation, in line with the Charter of the United Nations and the principles of sovereign equality and territorial integrity of States.”
The revised resolution passed with 93 countries voting in support — including Ukraine — just eight countries voting “no” (Belarus, Burkina Faso, North Korea, Mali, Nicaragua, Niger, Russia, and Sudan) and 73 abstaining.
“President Trump is committed to ending the Russia-Ukraine war and to a resolution that leads to a lasting peace, not just a temporary pause,” Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Friday about the alternative resolution.
“The United States has proposed a simple, historic resolution in the United Nations that we urge all member states to support in order to chart a path to peace,” the US’s top diplomat said.
Top Trump administration officials have repeatedly and purposely declined to fault Russia for being the aggressor in the brutal conflict unfolding half a world away.
Over the weekend, US special Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff, who has been involved in talks to try to end the war, told CNN that the conflict was “provoked” but, “it doesn’t necessarily mean it was provoked by the Russians.”
Russia launched its assault on Ukraine three years ago after weeks of military build-up along the countries’ shared border and repeatedly denying accusations that it intended to invade its neighbor.
Last week, Trump blamed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenksy for the war, chiding on Truth Social that “you should have never started it.
“You could have made a deal,” Trump wrote.
Meanwhile, Trump has been keen on inking a deal with Ukraine to secure access to its vast mineral reserves as a repayment for previous US military financial assistance.
Trump has also moved toward normalizing relations with the US and Russia, revealing Monday that he wants to bolster economic cooperation with Moscow after years of withering sanctions against the American adversary.