In a significant departure from its usual foreign policy, the United States joined Russia and other allies in voting against a United Nations resolution on Monday. The resolution, supported by most European nations, called for Russia’s withdrawal from Ukraine and condemned the war. India chose to abstain from voting.

This marked the first instance since the Ukraine-Russia conflict began that the US aligned its vote with Russia.

The US, along with Israel, North Korea, and 14 other nations allied with Moscow, opposed the resolution, which demanded Russia return occupied Ukrainian territory. Despite this opposition, the resolution passed in the UN General Assembly with 93 votes in favour, 18 against, and 65 abstentions.

The resolution, sharply criticising Russia and highlighting Ukraine's border territorial integrity and inviolability, states, “With concern, the full-scale invasion of Ukraine by the Russian Federation has persisted for three years and continues to have devastating and long-lasting consequences not only for Ukraine but also for other regions and global stability”. It asked for "a de-escalation, an early cessation of hostilities and a peaceful resolution of the war against Ukraine”.

India, along with Argentina, the UAE, China and Iran, abstained from voting on the UN resolution. Meanwhile, Ukraine’s European allies fully backed the US-led resolution, which marked three years since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

In a surprising move, the US abstained from voting on its resolution after European nations, led by France, successfully amended it. The changes explicitly identified Russia as the aggressor and reaffirmed the UN’s support for Ukraine’s sovereignty, independence, unity and territorial integrity.

The revised US resolution received 93 votes in favour, 73 countries abstained, and eight voted against it. Russia attempted to modify the text by referencing the "root causes" of the war but failed.

The voting results indicated a decline in global support for Ukraine, as its resolution was approved by 93 votes to 18, with 65 abstentions. This was a drop from previous votes, where over 140 nations condemned Russia’s actions and called for immediate withdrawal.

The US pushed for a vote on its original draft at the UN Security Council, where resolutions are legally binding, and the US holds veto power alongside Russia, China, Britain, and France. The resolution was adopted after Russia vetoed an attempt by European nations to amend it.

These UN resolutions come at a time when US President Donald Trump is shifting his stance on the Ukraine war amid rising tensions between him and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.