Ukraine cannot be divided: UN support for Kyiv on the anniversary of the war

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United Nations support for Ukraine coincides with the fourth anniversary of the outbreak of the war with Russia.

On Tuesday, the United Nations General Assembly adopted, by a large majority, a resolution supporting Ukraine, reaffirming its internationally recognized borders and expressing concern over escalating Russian attacks against civilians and critical energy infrastructure.

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The resolution, long backed by Ukraine, was approved by 107 member states, with 12 voting against and 51 abstaining. It was widely seen as a test of international solidarity with Kyiv on the fourth anniversary of the war with Russia.

An analysis of the voting results on the resolution — which is not legally binding but carries significant political weight — showed that Russia, Belarus, and Sudan were among those opposing it, while China and the United States abstained.

The Security Council, composed of 15 members, has remained deadlocked throughout the war and has been unable to take action on Ukraine due to Russia’s veto power.

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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky urged his country’s allies to continue their support, as divisions among European partners over imposing a new package of sanctions against Russia overshadowed the anniversary commemorations.

In another show of support at the United Nations, dozens of countries, including France, the United Kingdom, Canada, Japan, and Peru, gathered on the sidelines of Human Rights Council meetings in Geneva to condemn the war.

At the meeting, Norwegian Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide stated: “Everything the United Nations stands for is being violated,” concluding his remarks with the phrase “Glory to Ukraine.”

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A group of diplomats, mostly European, also walked out of a Conference on Disarmament session while Russian Ambassador Gennady Gatilov was delivering a speech in Geneva. They gathered outside holding Ukrainian flags and wearing scarves in the national colors.

The United States does not appear to have sent a representative to that meeting.

Tammy Bruce, Deputy U.S. Representative to the United Nations in New York, explained that “the United States welcomes the call for an immediate ceasefire,” but noted that the resolution included language likely to distract from ongoing negotiations “rather than support discussions on the various diplomatic paths that could pave the way for lasting peace.”

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Russia has presented various reasons for deploying its forces into neighboring Ukraine, including the need to “demilitarize” Ukraine and to respond to the eastward expansion of the U.S.-led North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) since the collapse of the Soviet Union.

Kyiv and its Western allies reject these claims, stating that they pose no threat to Russia, which they in turn accuse of seizing territory.

Guterres: the war is a stain

In his address to the Security Council marking the fourth anniversary of the war, UN Secretary-General António Guterres said the war in Ukraine remains “a stain on our collective conscience” and reiterated his call for an immediate ceasefire.

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He praised the efforts of the United States and other countries to end the war but stressed that concrete measures must be taken to de-escalate tensions and allow diplomacy to proceed.

He noted that more than 15,000 civilians have been killed in Ukraine since the war began and more than 41,000 have been injured, including 3,200 children among the casualties.

Guterres’s statement was delivered on his behalf by Rosemary DiCarlo, UN Under-Secretary-General for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs.

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He warned that the fighting poses a direct threat to the safety and security of nuclear facilities in Ukraine, adding: “This reckless game of nuclear roulette must stop immediately.”

He urged UN member states to fully fund humanitarian assistance and stressed that any settlement must preserve Ukraine’s sovereignty, independence, and territorial integrity within its internationally recognized borders.

The UN official added: “It is time for an immediate, full, and unconditional ceasefire — the first step toward a just peace that saves lives and ends ongoing suffering.”

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