The United States has twice sided with Russia in crucial United Nations votes marking the third anniversary of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, underscoring a profound shift in Washington’s stance under the Trump administration.
In a striking break from its European allies, the US first opposed a European-drafted resolution in the UN General Assembly (UNGA) that condemned Russia’s actions and reaffirmed Ukraine’s territorial integrity. Despite American opposition, the resolution was adopted in New York, reports the BBC.
Shortly thereafter, Washington introduced its own resolution in the UN Security Council (UNSC), calling for an end to the war but conspicuously omitting any direct criticism of Russia.
While the resolution passed, key US allies—the United Kingdom and France—abstained after their attempts to amend its language were vetoed.
These divergent resolutions came as French President Emmanuel Macron met with President Donald Trump at the White House, seeking to bridge widening differences over the war.
British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer is set to follow suit with a visit to Washington on Thursday.
Trump’s White House has upended the transatlantic alliance, cultivating closer ties with Moscow and casting uncertainty over America’s commitment to European security.
The divide was starkly evident on the floor of the 193-member UNGA as US diplomats pushed a limited resolution lamenting the loss of life in the "Russia-Ukraine conflict" while calling for an expeditious resolution to the hostilities.
Conversely, European diplomats put forward a more forceful resolution, holding Russia accountable for its invasion and reaffirming Ukraine’s sovereignty.
Ukrainian Deputy Foreign Minister Mariana Betsa underscored the importance of maintaining international pressure on Moscow, stating, “We need to reconfirm that aggression should be condemned and discredited, not rewarded.”
The European resolution secured approval with 93 votes, while the US took the unusual step of voting against it alongside Russia, Israel, North Korea, Sudan, Belarus, Hungary, and 11 other states. Sixty-five nations abstained. The US resolution, meanwhile, was ultimately adopted but only after amendments were made to include language supporting Ukraine—prompting Washington itself to abstain.
At the more powerful 15-member UNSC, the unamended US resolution passed with 10 votes in favour, while the UK, France, Denmark, Greece, and Slovenia abstained. America’s acting envoy to the UN, Dorothy Camille Shea, defended the resolution as a "simple historic statement... that looks forward, not backwards. A resolution focused on one simple idea: ending the war."
The US has rarely found itself so at odds with its traditional European allies. Since Russia’s invasion three years ago, the Security Council has remained largely paralysed, as Russia—one of its five permanent members—wields its veto to block any resolutions critical of Moscow.
Consequently, the UNGA has become the primary international forum for addressing the war, although its resolutions, unlike those of the Security Council, are not legally binding on member states.
