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.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio described it as “a simple, historic resolution… that we urge all member states to support in order to chart a path to peace” in a statement released late Friday.
The draft US resolution, seen by CNN, does not condemn Russia as the aggressor in the conflict, nor does it make any acknowledgement of Ukraine’s territorial integrity.
“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’s statement said.
“If the United Nations is truly committed to its original purpose, we must acknowledge that while challenges may arise, the goal of lasting peace remains achievable,” the top US diplomat said. “Through support of this resolution, we affirm that this conflict is awful, that the UN can help end it, and that peace is possible.”
The resolution comes as President Donald Trump has ratcheted up his antagonism toward Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, and as Europeans and Ukrainians fear they will be sidelined as the US moves forward on negotiations with Russia.
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.
The draft US resolution is brief. 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.”
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.
US and Russian officials met for key talks in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, earlier this week, in what the US delegation suggested would be the first in a series of meetings to bring the war to an end.
Following the talks, Rubio said that the US and Russia would appoint high-level teams to negotiate the end of the war in Ukraine and that they were working to establish diplomatic channels. He said “concessions” will have to be made by “all sides” for the conflict to end.
Russia has previously demanded that Ukraine must cede control of large swaths of its territory and give up its ambition to join NATO—conditions Kyiv rejected, while Zelensky has said he will not accept any deal made in Ukraine’s absence.
Following the meeting, Trump on Tuesday wrongly accused Ukraine of starting the conflict and parroted another Moscow talking point in saying the Ukrainian president should hold an election that was suspended because his country is in a state of war.
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. Trump raised eyebrows last week when he opted to hold a 90-minute phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin before speaking to Zelensky.
The announcement that Washington and Moscow would begin in-person talks sparked panic in Ukraine and amid Kyiv’s Western allies. European leaders held an emergency summit on Monday, reiterating that no peace talks can happen without Ukraine and its European allies having a seat at the table.
Earlier this month, Trump suggested the US should get access to Ukraine’s rare earth minerals in exchange for aid. Zelensky said Tuesday that the US has asked Ukraine to “give away” 50% of its rare minerals without offering any security guarantees in exchange. He rejected that idea, saying, “I cannot sell our state.”
