HAMILTON, Canada
The UN Security Council adopted a resolution Monday calling for a “swift end” to the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine and a lasting peace.
While efforts by the UK and European Union members at the Council to strengthen the language were unsuccessful, the US-drafted resolution received 10 votes in favor and five abstentions including Greece, France, Slovenia, Denmark and the UK.
Expressing sorrow over the loss of life in the three-year long war, the resolution reaffirmed the UN’s primary mission of maintaining international peace and security.
It emphasized the need for a peaceful resolution to the conflict in line with the principles outlined in the UN Charter.
However, it did not explicitly acknowledge Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine, a point of contention among some member states.
Ahead of the vote, the UK and EU members proposed amendments to clarify the nature of the conflict, including replacing the phrase “Russia-Ukraine conflict” with “the full-scale invasion of Ukraine by the Russian Federation.”
The proposed changes were not incorporated into the final text.
Following the vote, British envoy to the UN Barbara Woodward criticized the resolution’s wording, saying “no peace will be sustainable without Ukraine’s consent. We regret that our proposals, making these points clear, were not taken on board, and as such, we could not support this resolution.”
“But we share the ambition to find a lasting end to this war, supported by robust security arrangements that ensure Ukraine never again has to face Russia’s attack,” she said.
Slovenia’s UN envoy Samuel Zbogar also commented on the resolution after the vote, noting that “a saying goes that a person convinced against their will is against you still.”
“There will be peace, but it needs to be just and it needs to last,” he said, adding that “unfortunately, the text we voted on fell short of our minimum requirements.”
Denmark’s UN envoy Christina Markus Lassen echoed her European colleagues, saying: “We need to reject the false equivalence between aggressor and victim.”
She further conveyed support to the people of Ukraine and stressed that “Denmark will not impose a peace upon you. We’ll work with you.”
