US declines to join 50-nation UN rebuke of Russia over Ukraine strikes

The United States declined to join more than 50 United Nations member states in an appeal urging Russia to halt its aggression against Ukraine and cease attacks on civilians, marking another instance of the Trump administration distancing itself from collective condemnation of Moscow at international forums.

The joint statement, delivered at a UN Security Council briefing on Monday, August 24 — Ukraine's 35th Independence Day — was backed by the European Union and its member states, the United Kingdom, Canada, Japan, South Korea, Australia, and others. It called on "Russia to respond to the calls for a full, immediate, and unconditional ceasefire" and resume peace negotiations.kyivindependent

A 'Both Sides' Approach

Dan Negrea, the U.S. representative to the UN Economic and Social Council, did not sign the appeal. Instead, he called on "both sides" to end strikes that target or risk damaging civilian vessels and urged Russia and Ukraine to "return to the negotiating table". He stopped short of condemning Russian aggression, saying only that the United States would "play whatever constructive role" it could to facilitate talks between Moscow and Kyiv.usun.usmission

Danish Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen, speaking at the session, offered a sharper message: "This senseless war and the immense human suffering could end immediately. Russia simply needs to accept the unconditional ceasefire that Ukraine and the international community have been calling for for over a year and a half now".kyivindependent

Rising Civilian Toll

The briefing came amid escalating violence. Under-Secretary-General Rosemary DiCarlo told the Council that July was the deadliest month for Ukrainian civilians since May 2022, with at least 17 children killed and 166 injured — the highest child casualty count in a single month since April 2022. Since February 2022, the UN human rights office has verified at least 16,874 civilians killed and 51,273 injured in Ukraine. The UN estimates 10.8 million Ukrainians currently need humanitarian assistance.dppa.un+1

DiCarlo also condemned recent attacks on both sides, including a "double tap" Russian drone strike on a shopping center in Kryvyi Rih on August 21 that killed 16 people and wounded at least 140, and Ukrainian drone attacks that killed civilians inside Russian territory.dppa.un

A Pattern Under Trump

Since President Trump returned to office in January 2025, Washington has refrained from denouncing Russia's invasion and halted nearly all military aid to Ukraine in pursuit of peace talks that have effectively stalled as Moscow continues to reject a ceasefire. The administration has repeatedly opted out of joint appeals condemning Russian aggression at international forums, including declining to support a rebuke of Russia's threats to foreign embassies in Kyiv in May.kyivindependent