In a victory for Ukraine on the occasion of the third anniversary of the invasion of Russia, the United Nations General Assembly refused on Monday to approve a resolution supported by the United States which urged the end of the war without mentioning the assault of Moscow. Instead, he approved a Ukrainian resolution supported by Europe demanding that Russia immediately withdraw its forces, to which the Trump administration has opposed.
It was a setback for the Trump administration in the world organization of 193 members, whose resolutions are not legally binding but are considered a barometer of world opinion. But it has also shown decreased support to Ukraine, whose resolution spent 93-18, with 65 abstentions. This is lower than the previous votes, which saw more than 140 nations condemn the aggression of Russia and demand its immediate withdrawal.
The United States had tried to put pressure on the Ukrainians to withdraw its resolution in favor of its proposal, including a last minute call from the American assistant ambassador Dorothy Shea. Ukraine refused and the Assembly approved three amendments proposed by Europe, adding a language to the American proposal, which clearly shows that Russia has invaded its smallest neighbor in violation of the Charter of the United Nations.
Voting on the modified American resolution was 93-8 with 73 abstentions, with Ukraine voting “yes”, the United States abstaining and Russia voting “no”.
The Ukrainian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mariana Betsa, said that her country exercises its “law inherent in self -defense” after the invasion of Russia, which violates the requirements of the Charter of the United Nations according to which the countries respect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of other nations.
“While we are marking three years of this devastation – the full invasion of Russia against Ukraine – we call on all nations to remain firm and to take … the side of the charter, the side of humanity and the side of Just and sustainable peace, peace by force, ”she said. President Donald Trump has often declared his commitment to bring “peace by force”.
The American envoy Shea, on the other hand, said that several previous resolutions of the UN condemning Russia and demanding the withdrawal of the Russian troops “have not succeeded in stopping war”, who “has now been dragged for too long And at a cost far too terrible for the people in Ukraine and Russia and beyond. »»
“What we need is a resolution marking the commitment of all the member states of the UN to put a lasting end in war,” said Shea.
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Duel resolutions reflect the tensions that have emerged between the United States and Ukraine after Trump suddenly opened negotiations with Russia in order to quickly resolve the conflict. They also underline the tension of the transatlantic alliance on the extraordinary recovery of the Trump administration against engagement with Moscow. European leaders were dismayed that they and Ukraine were excluded from preliminary talks last week, and the Assembly met while Trump welcomed French President Emmanuel Macron in Washington.
In the climbing of rhetoric, Trump described the Ukrainian president of Volodymyr Zelenskyy a “dictator”, wrongly accused kyiv of triggering the war and warned that he “moves better quickly” to negotiate the end of the conflict or risking not having a nation to lead. Zelenskyy replied by saying that Trump lived in a “Russian manufacturing disinformation space”.
The Trump administration then not only refused to approve the resolution of United Nations Ukraine, but proposed its own competing resolution at the last minute.
The United States also wishes a vote on its proposal within the more powerful United Nations Security Council, where resolutions are legally binding and have a right of veto with Russia, China, Great Britain and France. China, which holds the chairmanship of the council this month, scheduled it on Monday afternoon.
An American civil servant, speaking on condition of anonymity because the council had not yet taken the American resolution, said that the United States is vetoing Russia or Europeans.
The General Assembly has become the most important United Nations organization on Ukraine because the Security Council of 15 members, responsible for maintaining international peace and security, was paralyzed by the right of veto in Russia .
Since the Russian forces stormed the border on February 24, 2022, the general assembly approved half a dozen resolutions which condemned the invasion and demanded the immediate withdrawal of the Russian troops.
The very brief original American resolution recognizes “the tragic loss of life throughout the Russian-Ukraine conflict” and implores “a rapid ending to the conflict and urges more sustainable peace between Ukraine and Russia”. He never mentions the invasion of Moscow.
The French UN Ambassador, Nicolas de Rivière, on behalf of more than 20 European countries, proposed the three amendments, which, according to him, “reflect the real situation in Ukraine – that of a war of aggression directed by Russia against his neighbor ”.
The first replaces the “Ukraine Russia conflict” with “the large-scale invasion of Ukraine by the Russian Federation”. The second reaffirms the commitment of the Assembly to sovereignty, independence, unity and territorial integrity of Ukraine within its internationally recognized borders. The third requests a fair, sustainable and complete peace in Ukraine which respects the Charter of the United Nations and the principles of sovereignty and territorial integrity.
Russian UN Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia told journalists last week that the original American resolution was “a good decision”.
He proposed an amendment which would add the expression “including by attacking his deep causes” so that the final line of the American resolution is read: “implores a rapid end to the conflict, including by attacking his Deep causes, and urges more sustainable peace between Ukraine and Russia. »»
The general assembly also approved this amendment on Monday, but Russia did not support the modified resolution because it clearly points to a finger in Moscow for having triggered the war.
The resolution of Ukraine refers to “the large -scale invasion of Ukraine by the Russian Federation” and recalls the need to implement all the resolutions of the previous assembly “adopted in response to the attack against Ukraine ”.
He distinguishes the request from the Assembly that Russia “immediately, completely and unconditionally withdraws all of its military forces from the territory of Ukraine within its internationally recognized borders”.
He underlines that any involvement of the North Korean troops fighting alongside the forces of Russia “raises serious concerns concerning the climbing of this conflict”.
The resolution reaffirms the commitment of the Assembly to the sovereignty of Ukraine and “that no territorial acquisition resulting from the threat or the use of force will be recognized as legal”.
He requires “de -escalation, early cessation of hostilities and a peaceful resolution of war against Ukraine” and he reiterates “the urgent need to end the war this year”.
–The diplomatic writer AP Matthew Lee in Washington contributed to this report.
