The United States has recently aligned with Russia in two UN votes, marking the third anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. This signals a significant shift in the U.S. stance on the war, reminiscent of the Trump administration’s foreign policy changes.
Firstly, the U.S. voted against a European-led resolution that condemned Moscow’s actions and supported Ukraine’s territorial integrity. The U.S. vote was in line with Russia, North Korea, and Belarus at the UN General Assembly (UNGA) in New York.
Next, the U.S. presented and voted in favor of a resolution at the UN Security Council, calling for an end to the conflict. However, this resolution did not criticize Russia in any way. The resolution passed, but two key U.S. allies, the UK and France, abstained after their proposed amendments were vetoed.
The timing of these UN resolutions coincided with French President Emmanuel Macron’s visit to Washington, where he met with President Donald Trump to address their differences over the war. British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer is also expected to meet with the new U.S. President later this week.
The Trump administration’s policies have strained the U.S.-European relationship, as it has sought to build ties with Moscow, raising doubts about America’s long-term commitment to European security.
These tensions were evident in the UNGA session on Monday, when U.S. diplomats pushed through a limited resolution that expressed sorrow over the loss of life in the “Russia-Ukraine conflict” and called for a swift end to it. Meanwhile, European diplomats put forward a more detailed resolution condemning Russia’s invasion and supporting Ukraine’s sovereignty.
Ukrainian Deputy Foreign Minister Mariana Betsa argued that the aggression should not be rewarded, stating, “We need to reconfirm that the aggression should be condemned and discredited, not rewarded.”
The European resolution was supported by 93 votes, but the U.S. voted against it, alongside Russia, Israel, North Korea, Sudan, Belarus, Hungary, and several other nations, with 65 countries abstaining.
While the U.S. resolution also passed, it was amended to include support for Ukraine, which led to the U.S. abstaining in the final vote.
Republican Senator John Curtis expressed his concern over the vote, highlighting that the U.S. was now aligned with Russia and North Korea, countries that are not traditional allies. He described this shift as a significant departure from American ideals of freedom and democracy.
Former U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi also criticized the vote, calling it “contrary to our long-standing support of democracy.”
Tymofiy Mylovanov, Ukraine’s former economy minister, emphasized that the U.S. siding with Russia was a deliberate decision, indicating that this was no longer just political rhetoric or theatre, but a serious policy shift.
The U.S. resolution at the UN Security Council, which called for an end to the conflict without criticizing Russia, passed with 10 votes, but key European allies— the UK, France, Denmark, Greece, and Slovenia—abstained. Dorothy Camille Shea, the U.S. acting envoy to the UN, described the resolution as a “simple historic statement” aimed at ending the war. This move highlights the growing divide between the U.S. and its European allies. Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the Security Council has been largely deadlocked due to Russia’s veto power, making the UNGA the primary forum for discussing the war, though its resolutions are not legally binding.
“US Supports Russia in UN Resolutions on Ukraine”
