A resolution drafted by the United States and another drafted by Ukraine and backed by the European Union calling for an end to the war in Ukraine are set for votes Monday at the United Nations. The U.N. General Assembly is expected to vote on the Ukrainian resolution, followed by the U.S. resolution. The U.N. Security Council is expected to hold its own vote on the U.S. resolution later in the day. The U.S. resolution calls for “a swift end to the conflict and further urges a lasting peace between Ukraine and the Russian Federation.” The U.S.-drafted measure does not mention Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, which began three years ago Monday. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Friday that the resolution would “affirm that this conflict is awful, that the U.N. can help end it, and that peace is possible.” “This is our opportunity to build real momentum toward peace,” Rubio said in a statement. The more extensive Ukrainian resolution says the Russian invasion “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 calls for “a de-escalation, an early cessation of hostilities and a peaceful resolution of the war against Ukraine” and highlights the need for the war to end this year. The Ukrainian draft says earlier resolutions adopted by the General Assembly need to be fully implemented, including those calling for Russia to fully withdraw from Ukraine’s internationally recognized borders. General Assembly resolutions are not legally binding, but they do carry the moral weight of the international community. At the Security Council, a resolution needs the support of at least nine of the 15 members, with none of the permanent members—Britain, China, France, Russia, or United States—using their veto power. The U.S. measure is expected to have enough support Monday. U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said during remarks Monday at the U.N. Human Rights Council in Geneva that countries “must spare no effort to bring an end to this conflict, and achieve a just and lasting peace in line with the U.N. Charter, international law and General Assembly resolutions.” Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Russia is ready to negotiate with Ukraine and Europe, but will “stop hostilities only when these negotiations produce a firm and sustainable result that suits the Russian Federation.” French President Emmanuel Macron is visiting the United States for talks Monday with President Donald Trump that are expected to include the war in Ukraine. Macron said last week that he planned to tell Trump the U.S. leader “cannot be weak” in the face of Putin. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer is due to visit Washington later this week for similar talks, and like Macron has emphasized the need for Ukraine’s sovereignty to be at the center of any peace effort. A group of leaders including European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, European Council President Antonio Costa, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Denmark’s Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen and Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez visited Kyiv on Monday in a show of support for Ukraine. “We are in Kyiv today, because Ukraine is Europe,” von der Leyen said on X. “In this fight for survival, it is not only the destiny of Ukraine that is at stake. It’s Europe’s destiny.” European Union foreign ministers on Monday approved a new round of sanctions against Russia, which EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said include measures against ships that work to evade restrictions on transporting certain goods, banks that circumvent sanctions and equipment used to pilot drones. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov called the new sanctions “entirely predictable,” and said the European nations seemed to want the war to continue. Fighting continued Monday with Russia saying it shot down 23 Ukrainian drones overnight, including 16 over the Oryol region. Ryazan Governor Pavel Malkov said falling debris from a downed Ukrainian drone caused a fire at an industrial enterprise. Ukraine’s military said Monday it shot down 113 of the 185 drones that Russia used in overnight attacks. Some information for this story was provided by The Associated Press, Agence France-Presse and Reuters.
