US Secretary of State Marco Rubio told Breitbart News on 24 February that the United States voted against a United Nations resolution criticizing Russia for the war in Ukraine because it allegedly was “antagonistic” and ostensibly undermined US efforts to bring both sides to the negotiating table.
After rejecting the broader resolution, which nevertheless passed the full United Nations, the US led another resolution through the UN Security Council calling for an end to the Russo-Ukrainian war.
“On the broader resolution, we think the UN needs to get back to its charter mission, which is the prevention and ending of war and conflict,” Rubio said during an exclusive at the State Department. “President Trump wants to end this war. He thinks far too many people have died and he wants to bring it to an end.”
Before the UN Security Council vote, the US sided with Russia, Belarus, Hungary, Sudan, Niger, and several other countries to vote against a UN General Assembly resolution supported by Ukraine and most EU and G7 nations.
The Secretary claimed that antagonistic language would hinder what Trump’s administration presents as peace efforts:
“We’re trying to get these guys to the table. Unfortunately, Ukraine didn’t agree and they wanted to move forward on theirs.”
Rubio stated that the US-backed compromise at the Security Council contained “very fair language” according to Rubio, essentially stating that “war is a terrible thing, way too many people have died, this war needs to end in a way that’s enduring.“
Notably, Russia did not veto the Security Council resolution. Russia’s UN envoy Vassily Nebenzia, representing the country carrying out the full-scale invasion of Ukraine for the third year and demanding Ukraine’s capitulation, praised “constructive changes” in the US position on Russia’s war, telling the council the resolution was “not an ideal one,” but “a starting point for future efforts towards peaceful settlement.“
When asked about Trump’s statement that the Ukraine war could end in “weeks,” Rubio characterized the president as focused on peace.
Rubio said that US officials had recently met with Russian representatives to determine their interest in ending the war.
“They said they would be, under the right conditions. We didn’t discuss what those conditions were,” he explained.
He added that the next meeting with Russia behind the backs of Ukraine and the EU would outline more details:
“So the next step is to meet with them again at some point, with the right group of people in the room, and begin to outline what would it take for Russia to stop a war? And obviously we’ve got to ask Ukraine the same question because you can’t stop a war unless both sides agree to it,” Rubio said.
Related:
- Zeit: US, Russia to hold second meeting behind Ukraine, EU’s backs today
- UN General Assembly adopted two versions of resolutions on the war in Ukraine – one by Ukraine and one by the United States
- Mission accompli: Macron charms Trump, and pushes back against him
- Trump says he may visit Moscow, not on 9 May but “within weeks”
- ISW: Putin remains committed to war, Kremlin rejects ceasefire without Ukraine’s full capitulation
- War in Ukraine could end “within weeks,” Trump claims
