United States joins Russia to vote against UN resolution condemning Russia’s war against Ukraine.

The Washington Post — The United States voted with Russia, North Korea, Iran and 14 other Moscow-friendly countries Monday against a U.N. resolution condemning Russian aggression in Ukraine and calling for the return of Ukrainian territory. The resolution, sponsored by representatives from Kyiv, passed overwhelmingly in the U.N. General Assembly.

The U.S. delegation also abstained from voting on its own competing resolution that simply called for an end to the war, after European-sponsored amendments inserting new anti-Russian language in the resolution were approved in the 193-member body by a wide margin. The amended U.S. resolution also passed.

The votes, taken on the third anniversary of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, were an astounding reflection of the deepening split between the Trump administration and the United States’ major allies over support for Ukraine and disapproval of President Donald Trump’s unilateral outreach to the Kremlin to settle the war on terms favorable to Russia.

Later Monday, the United States was saved from a similar failure after reoffering its original resolution at a meeting of the 15-member U.N. Security Council. While General Assembly resolutions reflect world opinion but are nonbinding, Security Council votes, which require nine members in favor and no vetoes by the five permanent members — the United States, Russia, China, Britain and France — have the force of international law. The other 10 members are selected by region for two-year terms and have no veto. Ukraine is not a current council member.
The Security Council meeting was more subdued than the morning session — where widespread applause broke out at Ukraine’s victory — but was notable for its underlying tension between the Europeans and the United States, while other members took subordinate roles. Speeches were uncharacteristically short and to the point.

France and Britain first sought to delay the council meeting by a day, asking for a vote to allow more time to consider the proposed U.S. resolution that was circulated Friday. That request was denied with U.S. and Russian vetoes. It was time, U.S. interim ambassador Dorothy Camille Shea said, for the council “to now step forward and do its job.”

Trump has blamed Ukraine for starting the war, called Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky a “dictator,” spoken directly with Russian President Vladimir Putin about normalizing Washington-Moscow relations and implied that strong U.S. sanctions against Russia over Ukraine may be lifted.