The world has convened to vote on how to condemn Russia’s invasion of Ukraine at a Monday UN meeting – via draft resolutions and amendments that reflect an increasingly divisive world as the invasion enters its fourth year.
While the resolutions are not legally binding, they reflect the international community’s position on the war in Ukraine.
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The US draft resolution was eventually adopted after all amendments proposed by Europe, emphasizing Russia’s complicity and Ukraine’s territorial sovereignty, were accepted.
Russia voted against the adoption, while the US abstained. The results were 93 for, eight against, with 73 abstained.
What the US wants
On Friday, the US proposed a UN resolution regarding Russia’s invasion of Ukraine that omitted any mention of Kyiv’s territory occupied by Russia.
The draft resolution was met with opposition from Ukraine and many European nations, countering with their rival draft resolution. Different European countries also proposed numerous amendments to the draft to reflect Moscow’s complicity and affirm Ukraine’s territorial integrity.
The US draft resolution, titled ES-11/L.11, originally noted the following:
“The General Assembly, Mourning the tragic loss of life throughout the Russian Federation-Ukraine conflict, Reiterating that the principal purpose of the United Nations, as expressed in the Charter of the United Nations, is to maintain international peace and security and to peacefully settle disputes, Implores a swift end to the conflict and further urges a lasting peace between Ukraine and the Russian Federation.”
During a speech, the US representative to the UN said it would reject Europe’s amendments and emphasized a need to end Russia’s invasion as soon as possible by all possible means.
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What Europe wants
Europe submitted a rival draft resolution titled ES-11/L.10 and requested multiple amendments to the US’ version.
The votes on the rival draft resolution were as follows: 93 in favor, 18 against, and 65 abstained.
The version, more in-depth than the US’s version, emphasized the need for a “comprehensive, just and lasting peace in Ukraine” whilst highlighting the need to protect human rights and territorial sovereignty, among other issues seen in Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Amendments
A number of European countries have also submitted amendment requests to the US’s version, with all the amendments adopted at the assembly.
- In the first preambular paragraph, replace “the Russian Federation-Ukraine conflict” with “the full-scale invasion of Ukraine by the Russian Federation” – A/ES-11/L.13 (60 for, 18 against, 81 abstained – adopted)
- Insert a third preambular paragraph reading “Reaffirming its commitment to the sovereignty, independence, unity and territorial integrity of Ukraine within its internationally recognized borders, extending to its territorial waters,” – A/ES-11/L.14 (79 for, 16 against, 67 abstained – adopted)
- In the operative paragraph, replace “lasting peace between Ukraine and the Russian Federation” with “just, lasting and comprehensive peace between Ukraine and the Russian Federation, in line with the Charter of the United Nations and the principles of sovereign equality and territorial integrity of States” – A/ES-11/L.15 (83 for, 16 against, 61 abstained – adopted)
Russia also submitted an amendment without co-sponsors that requested the inclusion of “including by addressing its root causes” after “a swift end to the conflict” in the US draft resolution’s operative paragraph.
With only 31 in favor, 71 against and 59 abstained, Russia’s amendment was rejected.
This story is being updated as new information becomes available.
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