US proposes its own UN resolution marking anniversary of war in Ukraine after refusing to back European statement

CNN — The United States has proposed its own United Nations resolution marking the third anniversary of Russia’s war in Ukraine after refusing to back one drafted by Kyiv and backed by Europe. It also comes after Rubio spoke with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha on Friday “to reaffirm President Trump’s commitment to ending the conflict in Ukraine, including through effective action in the United Nations Security Council,” according to State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce. It mourns “the tragic loss of life throughout the Russia-Ukraine conflict” and reiterates ”the principal purpose of the United Nations, as expressed in the United Nations Charter, is to maintain international peace and security and to peacefully settle disputes.” The draft resolution “implores a swift end to the conflict and further urges a lasting peace between Ukraine and Russia.” US Secretary of State Marco Rubio visits the Abrahamic Family House in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, on February 19, 2025. Evelyn Hockstein/Pool/AFP/Getty Images The Ukraine-drafted 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.” A diplomatic back-and-forth is also underway among Group of Seven members over a joint statement marking the third anniversary of the war, with the United States resisting a reference to “Russian aggression” in the document, CNN previously reported. The public war of words escalated after Zelensky accused Trump of repeating Russian disinformation, leading to Trump labeling his Ukrainian counterpart a “dictator without elections” and blaming him for strong-arming the US into spending hundreds of billions of dollars “to go into a War that couldn’t be won.” The attacks came as the US president has made it clear he wants the war to end as soon as possible — even if it means further territorial losses for Ukraine.