The News
The US voted against a United Nations resolution to condemn Russia’s war in Ukraine on the third anniversary of the conflict Monday, siding instead with Moscow on the largely symbolic show of support for Kyiv.
The resolution passed with 93 votes in favor, 18 against, and 65 abstentions. Kyiv’s European allies led the push to pass the Ukraine-backed resolution.
The vote reflected the growing schism between Europe and the US: Bloc officials rallied in Kyiv around Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy Monday, with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen saying the war remained “the most central and consequential crisis for Europe’s future.” The bloc also pledged €3.5 billion in new aid.
Not is kYiv was French President Emmanuel Macron, who was instead in Washington, DC to meet US President Donald Trump. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer will also visit the White House this week, as both leaders try to ensure Ukraine and Europe are included in any further peace talks following Trump’s sudden rapprochement with Moscow.
SIGNALS
Russia has an opportunity to split the West
The Trump administration has opened up fresh possibilities for Russia’s Vladimir Putin, including a potential US NATO exit, something Donald Trump has long advocated for, an analyst told The New York Times: “[Putin] sees real opportunity…to sideline the US not just from Ukraine but from Europe.” It is possible that Washington’s pivot is a strategic move to drive Moscow and Beijing apart, but it has instead “split the West, while Russia aligns with the US and China simultaneously,” an international policy expert told The Wall Street Journal. Putin, who on Monday held a call with Chinese leader Xi Jinping, wants to keep Beijing on side because a future US administration could swing against Russia, while the reign of China’s ruling party is indefinite, another expert noted.
Trump’s revisionism could backfire among conservatives
Donald Trump’s sudden warming toward Russia conflicts with America’s long-standing global outlook and future interests, analysts warned. Trump’s attacks on Zelenskyy and willingness to revise the war’s history have opened a rift in Republican circles, particularly among more traditional conservatives, NBC News reported. Right-wing media, including commentators Ben Shapiro, Mark Levin, and the New York Post also pushed back on Trump’s narrative. Still, the lack of Republican lawmakers willing to directly criticize the president has also been notable, The Washington Post wrote: “I think he’s negotiating, as he often does, out loud,” one Senate Republican said.
Europe faces a diplomatic dilemma in Washington
European Union leaders have insisted they should be included in any Ukraine negotiations, but the Trump administration has indicated it views the EU as having “increasing geopolitical irrelevance,” an expert at the European Council on Foreign Relations argued. Paris and London are spearheading the scramble to convince Trump otherwise: France’s Emmanuel Macron and the UK’s Keir Starmer are expected to present proposals to send troops to Ukraine as part of a post-war peacekeeping endeavor. But they should also take the opportunity to listen to Trump, a Guardian political commentator argued: “Precisely what kind of deal do the Americans think they can land with the Kremlin? That would be worth knowing, even if the answer turns out to be a scary one.”