The United Nations General Assembly has adopted two resolutions related to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, marking the third anniversary of the full-scale war.
While a Ukrainian-led resolution condemning Russian aggression was passed, the United States voted against it, aligning itself with Russia and a small group of opposing countries.
Simultaneously, a separate US-sponsored resolution, which underwent significant amendments, was also approved, calling for the restoration of Ukraine’s territorial integrity.
Ukrainian Resolution Condemning Russian Aggression
The Ukrainian resolution, supported by 93 countries, explicitly condemned Russia’s full-scale invasion and demanded the immediate, complete, and unconditional withdrawal of Russian forces from Ukraine’s internationally recognised borders.
However, 18 states opposed the resolution, including the United States, Russia, Hungary, and Israel, while a significant number abstained.
Washington’s decision to vote against the resolution drew attention, as the US had previously criticised the text and lobbied other nations not to support it, advocating instead for its own resolution, which initially avoided direct condemnation of Russia.
US Resolution on the “Path to Peace”
On the same day, the General Assembly also adopted a US-proposed resolution titled “Path to Peace”, which initially framed the war in more neutral terms, referring to the “Russia-Ukraine conflict” and calling for an end to hostilities.
However, following amendments from European states, the final version included a clear reference to Russia’s full-scale invasion and a call for a “just, lasting, and comprehensive peace in accordance with the UN Charter and the principles of sovereign equality and territorial integrity”.
The resolution was approved by the same 93 votes that supported the Ukrainian resolution, while eight countries opposed it and 73 abstained—including both Ukraine and the United States, despite Washington having drafted the original text.
The General Assembly also rejected a Russian-proposed amendment, which sought to frame the war as a result of “underlying causes of the Ukrainian crisis”. 31 countries supported this, while 71 voted against it.
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