U.S. wins backing for U.N. resolution on Ukraine war that doesn't blame Russia

On third anniversary of invasion, Trump says he is talking to Moscow about economic development deal as Washington's posture in region shifts

- Laurence Norman, Annie Linskey & Jane Lytvynenko

The U.S. sided with Russia and China to win the United Nations Security Council's backing for a resolution crafted in Washington that didn't blame Moscow for the Ukraine war and called for a swift end to the conflict, as President Trump said he was in talks with Russia about an economic-development deal.

Trump's comments and the U.S.'s vote at the U.N. on Monday illustrated the extent to which the president has changed the U.S.'s posture toward the region, coming on the same day as European leaders gathered in Kyiv to mark the third anniversary of the invasion.

Earlier on Monday, the General Assembly, which represents the 193 U.N. member states, had approved a Ukrainian resolution pinning the blame on Russia for the war, despite U.S. efforts to kill it. The U.S. was joined by North Korea, Russia and Belarus in voting against it.

Unlike the General Assembly, the 15-member U.N. Security Council has decision-making powers. The U.S. secured 10 votes from the Security Council in favor of its resolution. Five European countries abstained, including the U.K. and France, underscoring the widening gulf between Europe and the U.S. over the Ukraine conflict.

France and Britain both have veto powers on the Security Council but were reluctant to use them against Washington, diplomats said. French President Emmanuel Macron met with Trump at the White House on Monday, and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer is set to meet with Trump in Washington later this week.

The Biden administration took pride in leading Western powers in an alliance against Russian President Vladimir Putin, marshaling a far-reaching effort to punish Moscow through economic sanctions.

Then-President Joe Biden emerged as a leading critic of Putin on the world stage and framed the conflict as one of democracy versus autocracy.