UN General Assembly adopts resolution calling for lasting peace in Ukraine

The UN General Assembly (UNGA) on Monday adopted a draft resolution calling for a comprehensive, just and lasting peace in Ukraine, with Russia and US voting against.

The resolution passed with 93 votes in favor, 18 against and 65 abstentions.

Presented by Ukraine and several European countries, the resolution highlighted the war's global repercussions, including its impact on food security, energy, the economy, nuclear safety, and the environment.

It also raised concerns over reports of North Korean troops fighting alongside Russian forces, warning of further escalation.

The resolution calls for an immediate cessation of hostilities and a peaceful resolution in line with the UN Charter and international law, and urges intensified diplomatic efforts to prevent further escalation.

It further reaffirms previous UN resolutions demanding Russia's immediate, complete, and unconditional withdrawal from Ukraine's internationally recognized borders.

Describing votes in favor to the resolution as "a vote for peace," Ukraine's deputy Foreign Minister Mariana Betsa said before the vote that "as we mark three years of this devastating Russia's invasion against Ukraine, we call on all nations to stand firm and to take the side of the (UN) Charter, the side of the humanity and the side of just and lasting peace."

Also speaking before the vote, US Chargé d'Affaires ad interim, Dorothy Shea, recalled that "multiple resolutions of the General Assembly have demanded that Russia withdraw its forces from Ukraine."

"Those resolutions have failed to stop the war. It has now dragged on for far too long, and at far too terrible a cost to the people in Ukraine, in Russia, and beyond," she said.

Arguing that a resolution "marking the commitment from all UN Member States to bring a durable end to the war" is needed, Shea said a draft resolution by the US "implores a swift end to the conflict and further urges a lasting peace between Ukraine and Russia."

"We 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," she said.

Ahead of the vote, France, along with over 25 EU envoys, introduced three amendments aimed at reinforcing the Ukraine's resolution's language by explicitly identifying Russia as the "aggressor."

Shea then responded and said: "We cannot support them. These amendments pursue a war of words rather than an end to the war."

"If these amendments pass, the United States would consider that the resolution will no longer be able to achieve the consensus of this body on the most solemn pursuit; the pursuit of peace. Neither these amendments nor the resolution offered by Ukraine will stop the killing," she added.