UN Adopts Resolution Condemning Russia... US Casts Dissenting Vote

US Rejects the Term "Russian Invasion"
Proposes Its Own Resolution Excluding the Phrase

At the United Nations (UN) General Assembly held to mark the third anniversary of the Ukraine war, a resolution holding Russia responsible for the war was adopted, but the United States, along with Russia, North Korea, and others, cast opposing votes by rejecting the term "Russian invasion."

AFP Yonhap News

According to foreign media including the Associated Press (AP) on the 24th (local time), the resolution submitted by Ukraine specified Russia's full-scale aggression and emphasized the need to implement past resolutions condemning Russia. It also demanded that "Russia immediately, completely, and unconditionally withdraw all military forces and cease hostile acts" from internationally recognized Ukrainian territory. The resolution submitted by Ukraine was adopted with 94 votes in favor, 18 against, and 65 abstentions.

The resolution was co-sponsored by more than 50 countries including South Korea, the United Kingdom, France, and Japan, while the 18 opposing countries included Russia, North Korea, Belarus, and the United States.

The United States opposed this resolution and submitted its own proposal. Emphasizing the need for a swift end to the war, the U.S. submitted a separate resolution that excluded the content on Ukraine's territorial recovery, but the original resolution was rejected. Subsequently, an amended resolution including the content on Russia's invasion was put to a vote and adopted with 93 votes in favor, 8 against, and 73 abstentions. The United States abstained from this vote.

The original resolution submitted by the United States did not mention Russia's aggression but called for a "swift end to the conflict" and "lasting peace between Ukraine and Russia."

The Washington Post (WP) evaluated the vote held on the third anniversary of Russia's invasion of Ukraine as "showing deepening conflicts between the Trump administration and major allies over support for Ukraine," and noted that "it demonstrated opposition to then-President Donald Trump’s approach to the Kremlin, aiming to end the war on terms favorable to Russia."

UN General Assembly resolutions are official documents adopted by the UN but are not legally binding; however, they signify the international community’s consensus. At the first session of the high-level meeting of the UN Disarmament Conference held in Geneva, Switzerland, on the same day, 39 Western countries including South Korea and Japan jointly criticized Russia’s illegal aggression against Ukraine in their statements.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.