The US refuses to condemn Russia at the UN: more than 50 countries call for an end to strikes on Ukraine

The United States declined to join a joint statement by more than 50 UN member states calling on Russia to end its aggression against Ukraine and halt strikes on civilians.

The statement was read out at a UN Security Council briefing on Monday, August 24 — the day marking the 35th anniversary of Ukrainian independence.

The document was endorsed by the European Union and EU member states, the United Kingdom, Canada, Japan, South Korea, Australia, and a number of other countries. It calls on Russia to “respond to demands for a full, immediate, and unconditional ceasefire” and to resume peace negotiations.

A “both sides” approach

Dan Negrea, the US representative to the UN Economic and Social Council, did not sign the statement. Instead, he called on “both sides” to halt strikes on civilian vessels and demanded that Russia and Ukraine “return to the negotiating table.” Negrea refrained from condemning “Russian aggression,” stating only that the United States was prepared to “play any constructive role” in facilitating dialogue between Moscow and Kyiv.

Danish Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen, who spoke at the same session, struck a considerably harder tone.

“This senseless war and immense human suffering can end immediately. Russia only needs to accept the unconditional ceasefire that Ukraine and the international community have been seeking for more than a year and a half,” Rasmussen said.

Rising civilian casualties

UN Deputy Secretary-General Rosemary DiCarlo told the Council that July was the deadliest month for Ukrainian civilians since May 2022. At least 17 children were killed in July and another 166 were injured — the highest number of child casualties in a single month since April 2022. Since February 2022, the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission has confirmed the deaths of at least 16,874 Ukrainian civilians and injuries to 51,273 others. The UN estimates that 10.8 million Ukrainians currently need humanitarian assistance.

DiCarlo also condemned recent strikes by both sides, including a Russian “double-tap” drone airstrike on a shopping center in Kryvyi Rih on August 21 that killed 16 people and injured at least 140, as well as Ukrainian drone attacks that killed civilians on Russian territory.

A pattern under Trump

Since President Trump returned to the White House in January 2025, Washington has refrained from condemning the “Russian invasion” and has largely halted military aid to Ukraine in an attempt to bring about peace negotiations that have effectively stalled, as Moscow continues to reject a ceasefire. The administration has repeatedly declined to join joint calls to condemn “Russian aggression” at international forums, including refusing to support a resolution condemning Russia’s warnings to foreign embassies in Kyiv in May.