In a surprising move, the United States has twice voted alongside Russia at the United Nations, marking a significant shift in the Trump administration’s stance on the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
This development has laid bare the growing rift between the US and its European allies.
The US and Russia opposed a European-drafted resolution condemning Moscow’s actions and supporting Ukraine’s territorial integrity, which was passed by the UN General Assembly (UNGA) with 93 votes.
The US also voted against the resolution, alongside Russia, Israel, North Korea, Sudan, Belarus, Hungary, and 11 other states, with 65 abstentions.
In a separate vote at the UN Security Council, the US backed a resolution calling for an end to the conflict, but without criticizing Russia.
The resolution passed with 10 votes, but key US allies, including the UK, France, Denmark, Greece, and Slovenia, abstained after their attempts to amend the wording were vetoed.
The competing resolutions were tabled as French President Emmanuel Macron visited President Donald Trump at the White House, in an attempt to address their sharp differences over the war.
British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer is also set to visit the US leader on Thursday.
The Trump administration’s change of stance on the war has supended the transatlantic alliance, with the US currying favor with Moscow and casting doubt on America’s long-term commitment to European security.
As Ukrainian Deputy Foreign Minister Mariana Betsa noted, “We need to reconfirm that the aggression should be condemned and discredited, not rewarded.”
The US’s acting envoy to the UN, Dorothy Camille Shea, described the US resolution as a “simple historic statement that looks forward, not backwards. A resolution focused on one simple idea: ending the war.”
However, this move has been seen as a significant departure from the US’s traditional stance on the conflict.Since Russia invaded Ukraine three years ago, the Security Council has been deadlocked by Russia’s veto power.
As a result, the UNGA has become the main forum for debating the war, although its resolutions are not legally binding for member states.
