Russia-Ukraine war: How the US position has changed on UN resolutions

After three years of steadfastly supporting Ukraine, the United States made a sharp turn and voted against a United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) resolution condemning Russia for its invasion.

The US also filed its own resolution on Monday – one that did not explicitly blame Russia for the conflict and called for an end to the war on neutral terms.

These moves reflect the growing divide between the US and Europe, as well as the shift in Washington’s policy on Ukraine under the administration of US President Donald Trump.

Here’s what you need to know about the shift in policy:

What happened with the UNGA resolution?

The US was one of 18 countries to vote against the resolution titled, “Advancing a comprehensive, just and lasting peace in Ukraine”.

The resolution the US opposed clearly acknowledged that it was Moscow, and not Kyiv, that started this ongoing war in 2022, and called for UNGA members to reaffirm their commitment to Ukraine’s “sovereignty, independence, unity and territorial integrity”.

It also asked members to reaffirm that it is illegal for land to be taken by force or the threat of force and called for both sides of the conflict to comply with international law and protect civilians, “especially women and children”.

Perhaps most significantly, it demanded that Russia immediately withdraw from Ukraine and end the war.

The US, alongside Russia, North Korea, Hungary, Israel and a handful of other countries, voted against the resolution.

What did the US want instead?

The US proposed its own resolution in the UNGA, titled, “The path to peace”, calling for a lasting peace between Russia and Ukraine, but without handing out blame on who started the war.

The resolution mourned “the tragic loss of life throughout the Russian Federation-Ukraine conflict.” Additionally, it reiterated that the UN’s purpose was to maintain international peace and to “peacefully settle disputes”.

But France made amendments to that draft, adding references to Moscow’s full-scale invasion and to Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.

This resolution was then passed by the UNGA, with 93 votes in favour, 8 against, and 73 abstentions. The US abstained from voting on this resolution.

However, the US then pushed the original draft of the resolution to the UN Security Council (UNSC). It passed by a vote of 10-0 with five abstaining – the United Kingdom, France, Denmark, Greece and Slovenia.

UNSC resolutions are legally binding and UNGA resolutions are not, but reflect and sometimes influence how the world perceives a conflict.

How is this different from what the US has done in the past?

Since the war began, the US has voted in favour of six UNGA resolutions that were similar to the two passed on Monday.

With the UNSC paralysed by Russia’s ability to veto, the UNGA has become an important body for resolutions on Ukraine.

Here are six previous UNGA resolutions that passed:

• March 3, 2022 – 141 countries, including the US, voted in favour of a resolution condemning Russia’s declaration on February 24, 2022, of a “special military operation” and reaffirming that territorial acquisition by force is illegal. The resolution demanded that Russia cease its use of force against Ukraine and withdraw its troops from the territory. Five countries voted against it.
• March 24, 2022 – the US joined 139 countries and voted in favour of a resolution which reaffirmed its “commitment to the sovereignty, independence, unity and territorial integrity of Ukraine”, calling on Russia to withdraw its troops.
• April 2022 – 93 countries, including the US, voted in favour of an UNGA resolution suspending Russia’s membership in the Human Rights Council.
• October 2022, Washington supported an UNGA resolution that won with 143 condemning the Russian annexation of Ukrainian territory.
• November 2022 – the US voted in favour of an UNGA resolution that won 94-14 calling on Russia to pay reparations to Ukraine, while also calling on Russia to cease use of force and withdraw troops.
• February 23, 2023 – A resolution calling territorial acquisition by force illegal and asking Russia to withdraw its troops from Ukraine passed by 141-7. Washington voted in favour of this resolution.

Only one UNSC resolution focusing on Russia’s war on Ukraine has passed.

This was on February 27, 2022, calling an emergency special session in the general assembly over Ukraine. The US voted in favour of this and the emergency special session met a day later.

In October 2022, the US co-sponsored a UNSC draft resolution condemning “illegal referendums” conducted in Russian-annexed Ukrainian territory. It also called for Russia to pull out its troops from Ukraine. This resolution failed after it was vetoed by Russia.

What is the US saying to the world?

US Deputy Ambassador Dorothy Shea has said that multiple UN resolutions in the past that have called for Russia to withdraw its troops “have failed to stop the war”.

Prior to the vote, Shea said that the war has “dragged on for far too long” and harmed both Russia and Ukraine.

“What we need is a resolution marking the commitment from all UN member states to bring a durable end to the war,” said Shea, before the vote. She said that this is the first step that “puts us on the path to peace”.

This is a stark contrast to comments made by Linda Thomas-Greenfield, US ambassador to the UN under former President Joe Biden.

“Every day, Ukrainian families live in fear of Russian war crimes; to date, troops have committed some 147,000 of them. And every night, Ukrainian families live in fear of Russian aerial strikes, which continue to pound the country,” Thomas-Greenfield said during a UNSC briefing in November 2024.

“It is clear that Russia has no regard for Ukrainian life. But it’s also clear that Russia has no regard for Russian life.”