The Trump Administration’s Shameful UN Vote Against Condemning Russian Aggression

A resolution condemning Russian aggression against Ukraine passed the United Nations General Assembly last month with overwhelming support, despite a vote by the United States against it. The resolution, sponsored by Lithuania and Luxembourg , passed 105-9, with 33 abstentions. There was significant support from every continent, especially Europe, the Americas and Western allies generally, and especially from former Soviet Republics and satellites in Europe and other former Communist States. Even pro-Russian Georgia, Hungary, Slovakia voted in favor and even Communist Vietnam and Laos and Marxist Angola, as well as formerly pro-Russian States that have recently turned away from Russia, namely Armenia and Cyprus. There was also significant support from Arab and Muslim States. The abstentions of Communist China and Cuba, Marxist Mozambique and the Central Asian former Soviet Republics were even a noteworthy departure from previous voting patterns. The Trump Administration’s vote against was joined only by a rogue’s gallery: Russia; Belarus, a dictatorship complicit in Russian aggression; Communist North Korea, which has sent arms and troops to Russia; Marxist Nicaragua; Eritrea, one of the most repressive States in the world; and Sudan, Mali and Niger, all led by military juntas that seized power in coups, the latter two of which are pro-Russian. Trump’s excuse for the shameful vote against a resolution upholding the most fundamental aspect of the UN Charter defending independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity against aggression, was to avoid being seen as favoring the Ukrainians while trying to mediate peace with Russia. But the excuse is contradicted by its strong diplomatic support of Israel at the UN while trying to mediate peace in the Holy Land. The Trump Administration, though not favoring Russian aggression, has been unable clearly to articulate opposition to it as a matter of principle and longstanding U.S. foreign policy. Russian tyrant Vladimir Putin, a former Soviet intelligence officer, is trying to restore the Soviet Union, which was split up in 1991 when its Republics, including Ukraine, became independent, and the Russian Empire. Russia had recognized Ukraine’s independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity, but invaded in 2014, seizing Crimea and fomenting a separatist rebellion in easter Ukraine and then launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.