The U.S. has officially sided with Russia on matters regarding Ukraine. Following a recent conference in an attempt to thaw U.S. and Russian tensions, the United States has fully flipped its position on the conflict and moved to back Russia.
This comes after the United States met with Russia to discuss their relationship, which involved a conversation about the Russo-Ukrainian war. While the war was being discussed, Ukraine was not invited to contribute anything to the conversation on their own war. This created fear that the United States would abandon its previous support for the country due to moving its support with Russia.
At the United Nations General Assembly, the United States pushed back against a resolution initiated by Ukraine. The document directly presented Russia as the aggressor in the Russo-Ukrainian war, something that was supported by most other European countries. This document condemned Russia and supported Ukraine’s territorial integrity. 93 countries supported the initiative, with 65 abstaining from voting. Surprisingly, the United States did choose to vote against it, along with a small group of other countries, including North Korea, Russia, Belarus, and Israel.
Later, the United States drafted an additional document that would call for the end of the war. However, it included no criticism of Russia. Instead, the initiative was passed under the condition that it would include language supporting Ukraine. Consequently, the U.S. abstained from voting on the amended version. The same unamended document made an appearance at the UN Security Council, where it was passed by ten votes, with five countries abstaining. Among these were the United Kingdom and France.
Both sides have used the media to share their responses, with Russian President Vladimir Putin commending the Trump administration in televised comments. According to The New York Times, Putin said, “The first contacts with the new American administration give us some hope…There is a mutual willingness to work on restoring the relations and gradually tackle the colossal amount of the systemic and strategic problems in the global architecture that had piled up.”
Alternatively, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has expressed his appreciation for other European countries and their support, not mentioning the United States in any context other than concern. U.S. senators have also expressed their concern. For example, Republican Senator John Curtis stated in a recent post on X, “I was deeply troubled by the vote at the UN today which put us on the same side as Russia and North Korea. These are not our friends. This posture is a dramatic shift from American ideals of freedom and democracy.”
President Trump is now moving to his next mission with Ukraine, meeting with Zelensky to sign a deal that would transfer ownership of minerals in Ukraine to the United States. Leading up to their meeting, Trump was asked if he still believed Zelensky was a dictator. After giving him the title in February, he responded with, “Did I say that? I can’t believe I said that. Next question,” in an attempt to brush off his previous claims.