US refuses to co-sponsor UN motion backing Ukraine ahead of war anniversary, diplomats say

The US is refusing to co-sponsor a draft UN resolution marking three years since Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine that backs Ukraine’s territorial integrity and again demands Russia withdraw its troops, three diplomatic sources told Reuters, in a potential stark shift by Ukraine’s most powerful Western ally.

At the UN countries can decide to co-sponsor a resolution up until a vote. The 193-member General Assembly is expected to vote on Monday, diplomats said. General Assembly resolutions are not binding but carry political weight, reflecting a global view on the war.

“In previous years, the United States has consistently co-sponsored such resolutions in support of a just peace in Ukraine,” one of the sources, who like the others requested anonymity to discuss sensitive matters, said on Thursday.