After three years of steadfastly supporting Ukraine, the United States made a sharp turn and voted against a United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) resolution condemning Russia for its invasion.The US also filed its own resolution on Monday – one that did not explicitly blame Russia for the conflict and called for an end to the war on neutral terms.
These moves reflect the growing divide between the US and Europe, as well as the shift in Washington’s policy on Ukraine under the administration of US President Donald Trump.
Here’s what you need to know about the shift in policy:
What happened with the UNGA resolution?
The US was one of 18 countries to vote against the resolution titled, “Advancing a comprehensive, just and lasting peace in Ukraine”.
The resolution the US opposed clearly acknowledged that it was Moscow, and not Kyiv, that started this ongoing war in 2022, and called for UNGA members to reaffirm their commitment to Ukraine’s “sovereignty, independence, unity and territorial integrity”. Advertisement
It also asked members to reaffirm that it is illegal for land to be taken by force or the threat of force and called for both sides of the conflict to comply with international law and protect civilians, “especially women and children”.
Perhaps most significantly, it demanded that Russia immediately withdraw from Ukraine and end the war.
The US, alongside Russia, North Korea, Hungary, Israel and a handful of other countries, voted against the resolution.
[Al Jazeera]
What did the US want instead?
The US proposed its own resolution in the UNGA, titled, …
