At UN, competing resolutions on ending Russia's war in Ukraine approved

Voice of America

24-02-2025

The U.N. General Assembly marked the third anniversary of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine by narrowly approving competing resolutions on ending the war, one drafted by Kyiv with the European Union, and a second from the United States.
'Russia believed Ukraine would surrender. Russia believed we would fall in three days. Russia believed our government would flee. However, Russia miscalculated gravely,' Mariana Betsa, Ukraine's deputy foreign minister, told the gathering, saying Ukrainians continue to stand firm and resist.
In the weeks leading up to the meeting, there was only the Ukrainian draft resolution, which reflected previous ones adopted by the 193-member body. That resolution included a reference to Russia's 'full-scale invasion of Ukraine' and called for a 'comprehensive, just and lasting peace' in line with the United Nations Charter and 'within its internationally recognized borders.'
Then late Friday afternoon, the United States put forward its own brief text, titled: 'The Path to Peace,' which called for 'a swift end to the conflict and further urges a lasting peace between Ukraine and the Russian Federation.' It did not mention Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Russia's U.N. ambassador called the U.S. draft 'a good move.'
'This is our opportunity to build real momentum toward peace,' U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in a statement Friday.
European diplomats met through the weekend to find a way to prevent the U.S. draft from undermining international support for Ukraine at a critical moment in the war. On Monday, they proposed three amendments to the U.S. text, all of which were adopted by the General Assembly.
They added language to the U.S. text that included replacing the wording 'the Russia-Ukraine conflict' with 'the full-scale invasion of Ukraine by the Russian Federation.' A paragraph was inserted that said: "Reaffirming its commitment to the sovereignty, independence, unity and territorial integrity of Ukraine within its internationally recognized borders, extending to its territorial waters." The paragraph also included language on supporting the U.N. Charter and the principles of sovereignty and territorial integrity of states.
When the amended U.S. text was put to a vote, Washington abstained on its own resolution. It was adopted with 93 states in favor, 8 against and 73 abstentions.
'These amendments pursue a war of words rather than an end to the war,' U.S. envoy Dorothy Shea said. 'The attempt to add this language detracts from what we are trying to achieve with this forward-looking resolution: A firm consensus from the members of this body to unite behind a resolution calling for the end to this conflict.'
Russia also voted against the U.S. draft, because their attempt to amend it with language to address what it says are the root causes of the conflict was rejected by the Assembly.
'The essence of it has become completely distorted,' Russian ambassador Vassily Nebenzia said, but he welcomed the U.S. move and said he hoped it would be followed by other new initiatives.
'I think that today, our American colleagues have seen for themselves that the road to peace in Ukraine will not be an easy one, and there will be many who will try to make sure the peace does not come for as long as possible,' Nebenzia said.
The Ukrainian resolution was approved to loud applause with 93 states in favor, 18 against and 65 abstentions. It was the weakest support Ukraine has had over the course of the last three years in the Assembly.
The United States voted against the Ukrainian text as did Russia, its allies Belarus and North Korea, several African states, European Union outlier Hungary, and Israel.
General Assembly resolutions are not legally binding, but they do carry the moral weight of the international community.
The United States is expected to still bring its original draft resolution to the U.N. Security Council later Monday for a vote. It would need the support of at least nine of the 15 members and no veto from any permanent member — Britain, China, France, Russia or the United States.
The Europeans have said they will bring their three amendments to the council for a vote as well. A senior State Department official said Monday that Washington would veto any amendments — European or Russian — to its original text.
U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres was in Geneva on Monday, where he said countries 'must spare no effort to bring an end to this conflict and achieve a just and lasting peace in line with the U.N. Charter, international law and General Assembly resolutions.'
Macron in Washington
The diplomatic drama at the United Nations was taking place as French President Emmanuel Macron was at the White House for a meeting and lunch with President Donald Trump that included discussions about the war in Ukraine.
Macron said last week that he planned to tell Trump the U.S. leader 'cannot be weak' in the face of Russian President Vladimir Putin.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer is due to visit Washington later this week for similar talks, and like Macron has emphasized the need for Ukraine's sovereignty to be at the center of any peace effort.
A group of leaders including European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, European Council President Antonio Costa, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Denmark's Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen and Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez visited Kyiv on Monday in a show of support for Ukraine.
'We are in Kyiv today, because Ukraine is Europe,' von der Leyen said on X. 'In this fight for survival, it is not only the destiny of Ukraine that is at stake. It's Europe's destiny.'
New EU sanctions on Moscow
European Union foreign ministers on Monday approved a new round of sanctions against Russia, which EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said include measures against ships that work to evade restrictions on transporting certain goods, banks that circumvent sanctions and equipment used to pilot drones.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov called the new sanctions 'entirely predictable,' and said the European nations seemed to want the war to continue.
Fighting continued Monday with Russia saying it shot down 23 Ukrainian drones overnight, including 16 over the Oryol region.
Some information for this story was provided by The Associated Press, Agence France-Presse and Reuters.