UN adopts resolution demanding Russia immediately withdraw troops from Ukraine

It was approved with 93 votes in favor, 18 against, including the United States and Russia, and 65 abstentions. Hours earlier, Kremlin Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said his country would only halt the invasion when it reached a deal that satisfied Moscow.

The UN General Assembly on February 24 approved a resolution demanding the immediate withdrawal of all Russian troops from Ukraine, three years after Moscow invaded the neighboring country. Hours earlier, Kremlin Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said his country would only halt the invasion when it reached a deal that satisfied Moscow. Meanwhile, dozens of world leaders arrived in Kyiv to reiterate their support for the attacked country.

In a parallel scenario, French President Emmanuel Macron arrived at the White House to discuss the future of the conflict with his counterpart Donald Trump.

The text, drafted by Ukraine and its European allies, underlines "the commitment to the sovereignty, independence, unity and territorial integrity of Ukraine." The resolution was adopted by 93 votes in favour, 18 against, including the United States and Russia, and 65 abstentions.

A draft resolution submitted by the United States initially called for a swift end to the conflict, without mentioning Ukraine's territorial integrity. However, the text was modified following the inclusion of several amendments from European countries that incorporated the reference to territorial integrity and called for a "just peace." Ultimately, Washington abstained from voting on its own proposal.

Thus, the United States faced defeat at the United Nations General Assembly. The original proposal was amended three times, which altered its original essence.

The US resolution, which was presented as a counterproposal to a similar one previously drafted by Ukraine and approved with 93 votes in favour of the 176 states present, was modified by three amendments from the European Union. These amendments included a reference to the "large-scale invasion" of Ukraine, called for "a just and lasting peace" and demanded respect for the country's "sovereignty and territorial integrity."

The amendments introduced language that was much more in line with Ukrainian positions.