US Favours Russia At UN Vote On Ukraine War As Trump-Zelensky Rift Deepens

The United States aligned with Russia on Monday regarding a United Nations General Assembly draft resolution that called for de-escalation, an early cessation of hostilities, and a peaceful resolution to the war in Ukraine.

Washington, which had previously supported resolutions favouring Kyiv and condemning Moscow, altered its stance amid escalating tensions between US President Donald Trump and his Ukrainian counterpart, Volodymyr Zelensky.

The 193-member UN General Assembly voted on the draft resolution titled "Advancing a Comprehensive, Just and Lasting Peace in Ukraine", which was introduced by Ukraine and its European allies. The resolution was adopted with 93 votes in favour, 65 abstentions, and 18 votes against.

Russian allies, including Belarus, North Korea, and Sudan, sided with Moscow over Kyiv on the resolution, which coincided with the third anniversary of the Russia-Ukraine war.

India, which has consistently called for a peaceful resolution of the conflict through dialogue and diplomacy, abstained from the vote.

The resolution-garnering significantly less support than previous ones on the three-year-old war-strongly criticised Russia. It urged "de-escalation, an early cessation of hostilities and a peaceful resolution of the war against Ukraine, marked by enormous destruction and human suffering, including among the civilian population, in line with the Charter of the United Nations and international law".

The US later also backed Russia in a Security Council vote.

US-Ukraine Relations Deteriorate Following Trump's Return

Relations between the US and Ukraine have worsened following Donald Trump's return to the White House last month.

Last week, Trump referred to Ukraine's Zelensky as a "dictator" and claimed he was highly unpopular. He also urged him to "move fast" to end the war, a day after US and Russian officials met in Saudi Arabia without Kyiv's participation.

Following the talks between US and Russian officials in Saudi Arabia last Tuesday, Trump described the Russia-Ukraine war as "senseless" and stated that it should never have happened.

"Russia wants to do something. They want to stop the barbarianism that's going on over there. Soldiers are being killed by thousands on a weekly basis. Apart from Russian and Ukrainian soldiers, a lot of Koreans have been killed," he said.

Reports indicate that Washington has provided Kyiv with more than $60 billion in military aid since Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered tens of thousands of troops to enter Ukraine on 24 February 2022.

In December, Zelensky reported that 43,000 Ukrainian troops and 198,000 Russian soldiers had been killed in the war. The United Nations estimates that approximately 12,500 civilians have lost their lives in Ukraine.