Nigeria on Tuesday joined 106 other countries to vote in favour of a United Nations General Assembly resolution demanding an immediate and unconditional ceasefire in Ukraine, reaffirming Kyiv’s sovereignty on the fourth anniversary of Russia’s invasion.
The resolution, adopted by 107 votes to 12 with 51 abstentions, commits the UN to “the sovereignty, independence, unity and territorial integrity of Ukraine within its internationally recognized borders.” The United States was among the countries that abstained, marking a notable shift from its earlier posture of firm, unconditional support for Kyiv.
Reacting to the vote, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky thanked the countries that backed the measure.
“I am grateful to each of the 107 countries that stood with Ukraine today in defense of life at the @UN. The General Assembly adopted our resolution in support of a lasting peace, with clear calls for a full ceasefire and the return of our people. These are the right and necessary steps. And we will keep working actively to achieve peace, together with our partners,” Zelensky wrote on X.
Presented by Ukraine and co-sponsored by 46 countries, the resolution expressed “grave concern” over continued Russian attacks on civilians, civilian infrastructure and critical energy facilities, warning of worsening humanitarian consequences.
It called for “an immediate, full and unconditional ceasefire” and urged “the complete exchange of prisoners of war, release of all unlawfully detained persons, and return of civilians forcibly transferred or deported, including children, as a key confidence-building measure.”
The vote highlighted deepening diplomatic fractures, particularly in Washington. Since President Donald Trump returned to the White House in January 2025, U.S. backing for Ukraine has cooled markedly. The United States abstained from Tuesday’s vote after pressing unsuccessfully for separate votes on paragraphs referencing Ukraine’s territorial integrity and international law.
U.S. Deputy Ambassador to the UN Tammy Bruce said Washington welcomed the call for a ceasefire but argued that parts of the resolution included “language that is likely to distract” from ongoing diplomatic efforts to end the war.
Ukraine strongly rejected the American move. Deputy Foreign Minister Mariana Betsa described the US proposal to divide the text for separate votes as “deeply concerning and cannot be accepted.”
Russia, which voted against the resolution, accused Kyiv of politicising the process. Deputy Ambassador Anna Evstigneeva said Ukraine should focus on diplomacy “rather than initiating yet another politicized vote.”
Despite the General Assembly vote, the Security Council remains constrained by Russia’s veto power. Previous attempts to adopt binding resolutions on the war have stalled, though earlier this year the U.S. backed a Russian-supported text that called for peace without explicitly referencing Ukraine’s territorial integrity, a move that frustrated European allies.
In Washington, Ukraine’s Ambassador to the U.S., Olga Stefanishyna, urged the Trump administration to intensify pressure on Moscow, saying: “We hope that the US government this particular day… will get to the understanding that the language which is understood by Russians is not the dialog or diplomatic effort, it’s the pressure.”
She added that Ukraine urgently needs additional air defense systems as Russia steps up attacks on civilian infrastructure during winter, and stressed that any future settlement must include strong US and EU security guarantees.
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