Senate Republicans on Thursday objected to an effort by Democrats to condemn the Trump administration’s decision to vote against a United Nations resolution laying blame for the war in Ukraine at the feet of Russia.
Sen. Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.) attempted to pass the resolution through the upper chamber via unanimous consent to take direct aim at the U.S.’s vote on Monday.
That push, however, was stymied as Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Jim Risch (R-Idaho) objected to it. He did not explain his objection on the floor.
“Let’s be clear on this: this is a war that Russia started. Ukraine did not ask for it,” Gallego said on the floor. “They did not ask to go to war with a nuclear superpower, and they did not ask for their cities to be reduced to rubble. They didn’t ask for their children to be displaced and families to be torn apart. If Ukraine had its way, this war would have ended years ago.”
“What happened at the U.N. puts us on the same side as Russia and North Korea. That’s not just embarrassing, it is dangerous,” he added.
Monday’s vote helped solidify a reversal of years of U.S. policy on the war as President Trump tries to seek a deal to end the war between the two nations.
After speaking critically in recent weeks about Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, Trump on Thursday softened his rhetoric on the eve of Zelensky’s Friday visit to sign a deal on critical minerals, effectively tying the two nations for the foreseeable future.
