The United States joined Russia to vote against a UN General Assembly resolution condemning Russia’s war against Ukraine Monday in a stunning shift from years of US policy.
“And the terms of the peace must send a message that aggression does not pay. This is why there can be no equivalence between Russia and Ukraine in how this council refers to this war,” she said. “If we are to find a path to sustainable peace, the Council must be clear on the war’s origins. We also owe it to the people of Ukraine, who have suffered so much.”
“Russia chose to launch a war of aggression against a sovereign state, but again, today, is seeking to obfuscate that fact,” Woodward said.
“What, how and on what terms this war ends can only be decided by negotiations with Ukraine. No peace will be sustainable without Ukraine’s consent,” she said.
Earlier in the day at the General Assembly, Shea had urged member states to back the US resolution and said the US “cannot support Ukraine’s resolution, and we urge its withdrawal in favor of a strong statement committing us to end the war and work towards a lasting peace.”
The US ended up abstaining on the vote for its own resolution at the General Assembly after several amendments were passed ahead of the vote to strengthen the language against Russia and reaffirm Ukraine’s territorial integrity.
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