European leaders were caught off guard when the Trump administration revealed a new draft resolution to the United Nations that opposed Ukraine’s proposal. The United States’ move created a sense of urgency among the leaders scrambling to respond.
With the approaching third anniversary of the conflict, the US has been pressuring Ukraine to retract its resolution, which has the support of several European nations. This resolution accuses Russia of being responsible for the continued conflict in the region.
President Trump has brought about a shift in America’s stance on the war. Unlike the previous Biden administration, which strongly supported Ukraine, Trump has shown willingness to engage with Russian officials, signaling a change in approach regarding the conflict.
The Ukrainian resolution, backed by European countries, advocates for sovereignty and condemns Russia’s human rights violations, whereas, the US proposal offers a ‘simpler’ path to peace.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio released a statement on Friday, urging all member states to support the US’s resolution and reaffirming the administration’s desire to end the war.
‘This resolution is consistent with President Trump’s view that the UN must return to its founding purpose, as enshrined in the UN Charter, to maintain international peace and security, including through the peaceful settlement of disputes,’ Rubio said.
The statement went on to say that the US acknowledges the ‘awful’ conflict and emphasized that ‘peace is possible.’
Trump has softened toward Russia in comparison to the prior administration, and has expressed harsh criticism for Biden’s decision to fund Ukraine.
Trump has repeated his desire to end the war in Russia and Ukraine while refusing to increase aid
Zelensky has remained steadfast in advocating for Ukraine’s sovereignty amid Russia’s invasion
European leaders are scheduled to meet with Trump in Washington DC nest week to discuss the conflict in Russia and Ukraine
During his speech at the Conservative Political Action Conference on Saturday, Trump suggested that the US would ‘get our money back’ from Ukraine.
When talking about European and American aid to Ukraine, Trump said, ‘Europe gave it [funds] in the form of a loan – they get their money back.
‘We gave it in the form of nothing, so I want them to give us something for all of the money that we put up. So I’m going to try to get the war settled and I’m going to try to get all that death ended.’
Trump continued that the US would ask for ‘anything we can get’ from Ukraine including minerals and oil.
The president added that the war impacts Europe more than the US and argued that America shouldn’t be the country to aid Ukraine.
He took shots at Biden for not asking Europe to put up more funds throughout the war and said it wasn’t ‘fair’ that the US gave additional resources to Ukraine.
Trump has continued to push Ukraine for mineral rights in exchange for aid in the conflict.
He said at the White House that the deal could bring up to $500 billion to the US, while Zelensky said the agreement could ‘add value’ to the relationship between the two countries.
Zelensky has pushed back on the US’s request to withdraw Ukraine’s UN resolution
Trump discussed the funding of Ukraine while speaking at CPAC
Despite both countries’ desire to strike up a deal, peace talks between Zelensky and Trump have seemingly been fractured in recent weeks.
Zelensky refused to sign a deal presented by Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent last week.
Trump then shifted blame on Ukraine for starting the war and referred to Zelensky as a ‘dictator,’ a claim that resulted in swift backlash from Ukrainian supporters.
Zelensky slammed Trump in response, saying that the president lived in a ‘web of disinformation.’
The Trump administration has denied that the US resolution sympathizes with Russia, but an official familiar with the negotiations told the Washington Post, ‘Many representatives of other nations say that this looks more like a call for appeasement with Putin rather than a call for peace.’
Another diplomat told the Wall Street Journal that European countries felt that the US was ‘surrendering to Russia.’
The proposed US resolution is reportedly significantly shorter than Ukraine’s and doesn’t detail demands for Russia.
Ukraine’s resolution, however, puts the blame directly on Russia and calls for accountability of war crimes.
The US resolution echoes the language of Trump’s campaign promises to help end the conflict abroad, but has caused rifts with European allies.
European diplomats told the Wall Street Journal that US counterparts pushed them to persuade Ukraine to withdraw its resolution, but the country refused.
Washington has reportedly threatened to oppose the Ukrainian resolution at the UN General Assembly meeting on Monday during an ’emergency special session.’
A diplomat told the Wall Street Journal that 110 countries out of 193 were planning to back Ukraine’s resolution at the meeting.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio released a statement on Friday calling for peace in the Russia-Ukraine war
President Vladimir Putin led the Russian invasion of Ukraine, which has been an ongoing war for three years
The Trump administration requested a Security Council meeting an hour before the General Assembly is scheduled to convene.
The five permanent members of the Security Council include China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom, and the US.
Due to Russia’s veto power, the Security Council has been deadlocked on resolutions related to the conflict.
General Assembly resolutions are not binding, like the Security Council. For a Council resolution to pass, there must be no vetoes.
French President Emmanuel Macron and British Prime Minister are scheduled to meet with Trump in Washington next week to discuss the conflict further.
