A UN resolution supporting Ukraine is declined by the US, raising diplomatic concerns

The United States has indicated a change in policy by refusing to co-sponsor a UN resolution supporting Ukraine’s territorial integrity.

Three diplomatic sources told Reuters that the United States has declined to co-sponsor a draft United Nations resolution on the anniversary of Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine, supporting Ukraine’s territorial integrity and calling for Russia to withdraw its soldiers.

The most important Western friend of Ukraine, Washington, has also taken issue with a line in a statement the Group of Seven countries were preparing to release next week that would denounce Russian aggression.

The United States’ refusal to accept terminology that has been frequently used by the G7 and UN since February 2022 coincides with a growing distance between US President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

Trump sent a team to Saudi Arabia this week to have negotiations with Russia without Kyiv’s participation in an effort to hasten the end of the conflict in Ukraine.

It is uncertain how the US would respond to Russia’s invasion this year, although Ukraine’s allies have used the past two February 24 anniversaries of the war to restate their disapproval of it.

Up to a vote, nations might choose to co-sponsor a resolution at the UN. Monday is the scheduled voting day for the 193-member General Assembly, according to diplomats. General Assembly decisions, which represent a worldwide perspective on the war, have political weight even though they are not legally enforceable.

“The United States has continuously co-sponsored such resolutions in favor of a just peace in Ukraine in prior years,” one of the sources, who like the others asked to remain anonymous in order to discuss sensitive issues, stated on Thursday.

Although he would not name them, the first diplomatic source informed Reuters that over 50 nations were supporting the resolution.

According to a second diplomatic source who wished to remain anonymous, “the situation is they (the US) won’t sign it for now.” Instead, efforts are being made to look for assistance from other nations, such as those in the Global South, the source continued.

A request for comment was not answered by a representative of the US diplomatic mission to the UN in Geneva.

According to three sources, the G7 is scheduled to meet on Monday, but the US is now objecting to phrasing that refers to “Russian action.” Last week, the G7 foreign ministers released a statement that mentioned “Russia’s devastating war in Ukraine” but made no mention of Russian aggression.

Ukraine, which has benefited from diplomatic assistance and tens of billions of dollars in military aid agreed upon under the previous US administration to withstand Russia’s invasion, is facing a serious political crisis as a result of the dispute.

According to the UN Charter and international law, the draft resolution “calls for a de-escalation, an early cessation of hostilities, and a peaceful resolution of the war against Ukraine,” as reported by Reuters.

Additionally, it “recalls the necessity of fully implementing its relevant resolutions adopted in response to the aggression against Ukraine, particularly its demand that the Russian Federation immediately, completely, and unconditionally withdraw all of its military forces from the territory of Ukraine within its internationally recognized borders.”

About 20% of Ukraine has been taken by Russia, which is also gradually but steadily expanding its territory in the east. Kyiv’s bid to join NATO was seen by Moscow as an existential danger, prompting its “special military operation.” The West and Ukraine accuse Russia of grabbing territories in an imperialist manner.