The UN General Assembly at its meeting on February 24, 2026 in New York.Image: keystone
On the fourth anniversary of the Russian attack on Ukraine, the UN General Assembly in New York passed a resolution calling for an immediate ceasefire and lasting peace.
02/25/2026, 03:2302/25/2026, 03:23
107 member countries voted for the paper in New York. 12 voted against. 51 abstained – including the USA.
Switzerland supports the resolution, as Switzerland’s UN representation announced on Platform X on Tuesday evening. The paper calls, among other things, for an “immediate, complete and unconditional ceasefire” between Russia and Ukraine and calls for a “comprehensive, fair and lasting peace” based on international law.
Baerbock: USA wanted to have passages deleted
The President of the UN General Assembly, Annalena Baerbock, explained on “Maischberger” on ARD that the resolution repeated what had already been decided several times regarding Ukraine. “Namely, that peace can only be just and lasting if it is based on the rules of the UN Charter and if it respects the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Ukraine.”
The American delegation submitted amendments to precisely these two paragraphs – they should be deleted: “You have to let that sink in. That means you consciously delete from a resolution that it should be a lasting, just peace and that the UN Charter should be upheld,” said Baerbock.
USA: Call for immediate ceasefire welcomed
The amendment was rejected by a large majority – the Americans then abstained from passing the resolution. The USA’s justification for its request states that the call for an immediate ceasefire is of course welcomed. But the resolution contains language “that is likely to distract from ongoing negotiations rather than support discussion of the full range of diplomatic channels that could pave the way to this lasting peace.”
And: “What is needed now to end the war is political will. We believe we are closer to a deal than at any time since this war began.”
Baerbock warns of a “world of irregularities”
Regarding the USA’s official justification that there are currently negotiations that one should not interfere in, Baerbock said that the question is: “Does one of the largest and most powerful forces in the world continue to accept that the common rules of the game are the UN Charter, where there is a ban on the use of force – i.e. that you are not allowed to attack your neighboring country – and do you also accept that for peace negotiations? Apparently not anymore. Then we would slide into a world of rulelessness.”
Also an issue in the UN Security Council
The UN Security Council also wanted to address the issue on the anniversary. UN Secretary General António Guterres had already called for an immediate and unconditional ceasefire and described the war as a “blemish on our collective consciousness”.
Russia began an invasion of the neighboring country on February 24, 2022. Tens of thousands of people have been killed or injured on the front lines and in attacks on Ukrainian cities, and millions have fled abroad. Although Ukraine and Russia are now negotiating with US mediation, there is no end to the fighting in sight. (sda/dpa)