The surprise US vote comes after Trump decided to start direct talks with Russia to end the war, shocking Ukraine and its allies in Europe by not including them in the initial discussions last week.
Votes on three UN resolutions demanding an end to the three-year war Russian war on Ukraine on Monday saw the United States split from its European allies by refusing to hold Moscow accountable for its invasion, marking a major shift in transatlantic relations under President Donald Trump.
The surprise move comes after Trump decided to start direct talks with Russia to end the war, shocking Ukraine and its allies in Europe by not including them in the initial discussions last week.
At the UN General Assembly in New York, the US joined Russia in voting against a Europe-backed Ukrainian resolution that called out Moscow’s aggression and demanded an immediate withdrawal of Russian troops.
The US then abstained from voting on its competing resolution after the European Union led by France, succeeded in amending it to make clear Russia was the aggressor.
The UN vote took place as Trump was receiving French President Emmanuel Macron in Washington and on the third anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion.
Cyprus’ minister of foreign affairs, Constantinos Kombos, noted Monday’s events in the UN had its own significance in transatlantic relations.
“Yesterday was a very difficult day, given that it was the three-year anniversary of Russia’s illegal invasion of Ukraine,” Kombos told Euronews.
“The result is that yesterday the European Union managed to retain an important element in terms of a position of principle, of declaration, but also in terms of wording, with regard to the situation in Ukraine” he said.
“There was a very serious mobilisation by the Member States, with a significant number of colleagues having gone to New York on this, and the result was assessed by the European Union as positive.”
The US vote in the 193-member UN body, whose decisions are not legally enforceable but regarded as a gauge of global sentiment, sparked reactions online with some political commentators describing it as unfortunate even amongst Trump’s Republican party.
The US president has falsely accused Kyiv of initiating the war and warned the Ukrainian president Volodymr Zelenskyy – who claimed Trump was living in a “disinformation space” created by Russia – could lose his country if he doesn’t “move fast” to negotiate a settlement.
The UN General Assembly voted 93-18 with 65 abstentions to approve the Ukrainian resolution. However positive, the result showed some diminished support for Ukraine, especially as previous assembly votes saw more than 140 nations condemn Russia’s aggression and demand an immediate withdrawal.
According to Ukraine’s Deputy Foreign Minister Mariana Betsa, her country was only exercising its “inherent right to self-defence” following Russia’s invasion, which violates the UN Charter’s requirement that countries respect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of other nations.
In what has been a major breakaway from the Biden administration, Trump has re-established communication with Russia, sending senior officials to hold talks in Saudi Arabia with Russian counterparts and even speaking directly over the phone with President Vladimir Putin.
He and his officials have pointedly refused to fault Russia for starting the brutal conflict.
On Monday, Trump told reporters at the White House during the visit of French President Emmanuel Macron that the war could be ended in weeks if progress was made in talks he has launched with Russian officials.
Additional sources • AP
