US presses UN to reject European bid on Ukraine as key vote looms

By Michelle Nichols

UNITED NATIONS - The United States is urging the United Nations General Assembly to back its resolution to mark the third anniversary of Russia's invasion of Ukraine on Monday, oppose any amendments and vote no on a rival text drafted by Ukraine and European allies.

In a diplomatic note sent on Sunday and reviewed by Reuters, the United States described its brief resolution as "a forward-looking resolution focused on one simple idea: ending the war."

"Through this resolution, Member States can build real momentum towards international peace and security, the maintenance of which is the principal purpose of the United Nations," it said, asking countries to "vote no on any other resolution or amendments presented" during Monday's meeting.

The US draft resolution, put forward on Friday, pits it against Ukraine and the European Union, which have for the past month been negotiating with UN member states on their own resolution on the war in Ukraine, which repeats the UN demand that Russia withdraw its troops and halt hostilities.

The 193-member UN General Assembly has overwhelmingly repeatedly backed Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity within its internationally recognized borders since the war began. The US draft makes no reference to that.

The US text mourns the loss of life during the "Russia-Ukraine conflict", and reiterates that the UN's main purpose is to maintain international peace and security and peacefully settle disputes. It "implores a swift end to the conflict and further urges a lasting peace between Ukraine and Russia."

PROPOSED AMENDMENTS

The 15-member Security Council is also set to vote on the same US text later on Monday, diplomats said. A council resolution needs at least nine votes in favour and no vetoes by the US, Russia, China, Britain or France to be adopted.

The US push for UN action comes after President Donald Trump launched a bid to broker an end to the war, sparking a rift with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and raising concerns among European allies that they could be cut out of peace talks. US and Russian officials met on Tuesday.

The General Assembly is set to vote on several proposed amendments to the US draft resolution.

Russia has proposed amending the US draft to reference addressing the "root causes" of the war. Russia called its 2022 invasion a "special military operation" designed to "de-Nazify" Ukraine and halt an expansion of Nato.

Britain and 24 European Union states have also proposed amendments to the US draft in the General Assembly.

They want to describe the conflict as "the full-scale invasion of Ukraine by the Russian Federation," back Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity and implore "just, lasting and comprehensive peace" in line with the UN Charter and principles of sovereign equality and territorial integrity.

General Assembly resolutions are not binding but carry political weight, reflecting a global view on the war. No country holds a veto in the assembly.

- REUTERS