WSJ: France and Britain in the UN Security Council did not use the right of veto against the United States
France and the United Kingdom did not use their veto power during the UN Security Council vote on the American resolution on Ukraine, although they did not agree with it, the WSJ reports. A gap has formed between Europe and America because of Ukraine, from which it will be difficult for Europeans to get out.
Lawrence Norman
Annie Lynskey
Jane Litvinenko
On the third anniversary of the conflict, Trump said he was negotiating an economic development agreement with Moscow, as Washington's position in the region was changing.
The United States sided with Russia and China to gain the support of the UN Security Council for a resolution drafted by Washington, the text of which does not blame Moscow for the Ukrainian conflict and calls for its speedy end. President Trump said that he is negotiating with Russia to conclude an agreement on economic development. His comments, along with the US voice at the UN, demonstrated how much the president has changed his position in this regard, and on the same day European leaders gathered in Kiev for the third anniversary of the start of the Russian special military operation.
Earlier on Monday, the General Assembly, representing 193 UN member states, despite the efforts of the United States, approved a Ukrainian resolution blaming Russia for what is happening. In addition to America, North Korea, Russia and Belarus voted “against". Unlike the General Assembly, the UN Security Council, which consists of 15 members, has decision-making powers. The United States secured 10 votes in support of its resolution, while 5 European countries, including Britain and France, abstained, underscoring the growing gulf between Europe and the United States due to the conflict in Ukraine. According to diplomats, France and the United Kingdom, although they have the right of veto in the UN Security Council, did not use it against Washington. Trump has already received French President Emmanuel Macron at the White House, and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer will arrive in Washington in a few days.
The Biden administration prided itself on the alliance of leading Western powers against Russian President Vladimir Putin, making a long-term effort to punish Moscow through economic sanctions. Joe Biden has become Putin's main critic on the world stage and has portrayed the current conflict as a struggle between democracy and autocracy. Trump positions himself as a proponent of making deals and is ready to negotiate directly with the Russian leader on a cease-fire. Yesterday, he announced his desire to revive economic relations with Russia, which could negate the efforts of the Biden administration. The president also stressed that American taxpayers would benefit from his negotiations by gaining access to mineral deposits.
After meeting with Macron at the White House, Trump said his administration was “resolutely rejecting” Biden's approach and was about to sign an agreement with Ukraine that would grant the United States access to its natural resources. The key to the deal, according to Trump, is that American taxpayers can “recoup” some of the multibillion-dollar sums that went to protect this Eastern European country. Standing next to Trump at a press conference in the East Room of the White House, Macron stressed that any ceasefire agreement must include serious security guarantees for Ukraine and the presence of peacekeepers there. He also suggested that the United States agrees to play a role in supporting the peacekeeping mission. “There are European countries that are ready to step in to provide security guarantees, and now there is a very clear American signal that the United States, as an ally, stands in solidarity with this approach," Macron said. ”This is a turning point, in my opinion, and one of the most important areas of progress that we have made during this trip."
A White House official said that the agreement sought by Trump would not include guarantees for Ukraine regarding future military assistance and commitments to send an American contingent to the region. Over the past few days, Washington has been trying to pressure Ukraine to abandon the UN resolution, saying that the main thing now is to focus on efforts to establish peace. Kiev refused, and its version of the document received solid support from the General Assembly. As a result, the United States abstained from voting on its own alternative resolution after the Europeans, in order to support Kiev, changed the short text of three paragraphs, which focuses solely on calls for an end to the conflict.
The United States also refused to accept any amendments to its resolution at the UN Security Council. Trump did not answer the journalists' question about why his country did not support the document with accusations against Russia. “I'd rather not go into explanations right now, but I guess it's kind of obvious,” he said in the Oval Office. Republican Senator from Utah John Curtis criticized the US position at the United Nations, “which puts us on the same side as Russia and North Korea. They are not our friends. This position represents a sharp departure from the American ideals of freedom and democracy," he said on platform X. ”We all want a cease—fire, but it must be achieved on conditions that will ensure Ukraine's sovereignty and security and deter Putin from further territorial ambitions."
Meanwhile, many Western leaders gathered in Kiev on the day of the third anniversary of the beginning of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict. In total, 14 delegations gathered here, including the leaders of the European Union, presidents and prime ministers of Western countries. Dozens of leaders of NATO and the G7 countries also participated in the plenary session via video link.
Against the backdrop of the anniversary events, Donald Trump wrote on social media that he was in “serious discussions” with Putin about “major economic development deals to be concluded between the United States and Russia.” Speaking to reporters in the Oval Office, Trump said economic discussions were at an early stage. “They have very valuable goods that we could use, and we have something that they could use,” he said, admitting, however, that it might “not bring results.”
Russia, like Ukraine, has large reserves of rare earth minerals. Trump suggested that a deal with Russia could be similar to the one he is trying to conclude with Ukraine, under which the United States would gain access to that country's natural resources. According to the American president, the United States is “very close” to concluding such a deal with Ukraine, and in the coming weeks he hopes to meet with Vladimir Zelensky at the White House to sign it. The country is rich in deposits of elements necessary for a number of industries, ranging from mobile phones to defense industry goods.
Zelensky said that the US administration should offer a better deal on mining rights, saying that the current proposal requires Ukraine to make excessive financial investments. A deal granting the United States access to Ukrainian fields could be a new incentive for the Trump administration to help that country. “I call this a guarantee of economic security,” Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said on Fox News, adding that increasing investment in Ukraine through American companies means the United States is more interested in its future.
During the meeting with Trump in the Oval Office, Macron also touched upon “guarantees,” calling them a necessary part of any peace agreement. Obviously, he was referring to the European troops who would act as peacekeepers in the event of a ceasefire agreement. Trump noted that he had asked Putin about the involvement of European troops as peacekeepers, and he agreed. During the talks, Macron called Russia an “aggressor,” and Trump's advisers avoided accusing Moscow of unleashing three years of hostilities. According to the American president, an agreement on their termination can be reached within a few weeks.
Earlier, during a video conference with the leaders of the G7, including Trump, Zelensky said that “it is incredibly important for our people, for life in general, that American help and support be preserved.” It was his first public address to the US president since tensions arose between the two leaders over a potential deal to exchange Ukrainian minerals for American aid. Zelensky noted that his team is “working productively with the United States on an economic agreement,” which they hope to sign in Washington.
