On the third anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the U.N. General Assembly is expected to vote Monday on dueling resolutions — Ukraine's European-backed proposal demanding an immediate withdrawal of Russian forces from the country and a U.S. call for a swift end to the war that never mentions Moscow's aggression.
The Ukraine's resolution, meanwhile, refers to “the full-scale invasion of Ukraine by the Russian Federation” and recalls the need to implement all previous assembly resolutions “adopted in response to the aggression against Ukraine.”.
The very brief U.S. draft resolution acknowledges “the tragic loss of life throughout the Russia-Ukraine conflict” and “implores a swift end to the conflict and further urges a lasting peace between Ukraine and Russia.” It never mentions Moscow’s invasion.
Since then, the Trump administration not only declined to endorse Ukraine's U.N. resolution, but at the last minute proposed its own competing resolution and pressed its allies to support that version instead.
The General Assembly has become the most important U.N. body on Ukraine because the 15-member Security Council, which is charged with maintaining international peace and security, has been paralyzed by Russia’s veto power.
