Members Implore Swift End to Conflict, Urge Lasting Peace between Two Nations
As the Russian Federation's invasion of Ukraine entered its fourth year, the Security Council today adopted a resolution mourning the tragic loss of life and reiterating that the principal purpose of the United Nations is to maintain international peace and security and peacefully settle disputes.
Adopting resolution 2774 (2025) (to be issued as document S/RES/2774(2025) ) by a vote of 10 in favour to none against, with 5 abstentions (Denmark, France, Greece, Slovenia, United Kingdom), the Council implored a swift end to the conflict and urged a lasting peace between Ukraine and the Russian Federation.
Before the vote, the representative of the United States said that the Council stands on "the precipice of history with a solemn task - creating conditions to end the bloodiest war on the European continent" since the organ was created in June 1945. Noting that her country's draft text is "a symbolic, simple first step towards peace", she added that it "is not a peace deal". Rather, it represents a path to peace, and she urged all Council members to join the United States in vanquishing the scourge of this war.
Proposed Amendments Fail to Obtain Required Number of Votes
However, the representative of the United Kingdom underscored: "There can be no equivalence between Russia and Ukraine in how this Council refers to this war." Moscow chose to launch a war of aggression, and "the Council must be clear on this", she stressed. "We must also be clear that peace must respect the UN Charter and Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity within its internationally recognized borders," she added, proposing several amendments to the text on behalf of the Council members who ultimately abstained from the vote on the text as a whole.
France's delegate noted such proposed amendments demonstrate "our resolute commitment - after three years of war - to a comprehensive, just and lasting peace in Ukraine". However, he underscored that peace cannot be a synonym for capitulation of the aggressed State. The amendments, he said, also aim to recall that there is an aggressor and an aggressed State, with the Russian Federation having attacked a sovereign State that posed no threat to it.
The representative of the Russian Federation, for his part, said of today's text: "We consider it, overall, as a common-sense initiative." It reflects, he said, the desire of the new United States Administration to "really contribute". He also proposed several amendments, including inserting language regarding the need to "eradicate the root causes of the Ukrainian crisis". On the amendments proposed by the European Council members, he said they "replace the essence of the American text and make it into another anti-Russia ultimatum".
None of the five proposed amendments were adopted, either because they failed to obtain the required number of votes or because the Russian Federation cast its veto.
United States' Speaker Welcomes Adoption of First Resolution in Three Years on Ukraine Firmly Calling for End to Conflict
Following the adoption of the unamended text, the representative of the United States welcomed Council members' support of the resolution, welcoming the first Council action taken in three years on Ukraine to firmly call for an end to the conflict. "This resolution puts us on the path to peace," she affirmed, and although it is a first step, it is a crucial one. The Council must now use it to build a peaceful future for Ukraine, the Russian Federation and the international community.
Other Council Members Support Text Overall Yet Raise Concerns
The representative of France, however, said that, while his country is "fully committed to peace in Ukraine", Paris calls for a comprehensive, just and lasting peace - "certainly not for capitulation of the victim". "There will be no peace and security if aggressors are rewarded and the law of the jungle wins," he stressed. Similarly, the representative of the United Kingdom stressed that the terms of peace must send the message that aggression does not pay. No peace will be sustainable without Ukraine's consent, she said, voicing regret that her delegation's proposals making these points clear were not taken on board.
"There is nobody who wants peace more than Ukrainians and Europeans," stressed Slovenia's representative. However, he observed: "A person convinced against their will is against you still - there will be peace, but it will be just and it needs to last." Building on that, Denmark's representative stressed that peace must be on the right terms, voicing regret that today's resolution falls far short of that vision. "We need to reaffirm our commitment to Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity," she stated.
For his part, the representative of the Republic of Korea - noting that Moscow's war of aggression has "tragically claimed countless innocent lives" - expressed hope that today's adoption will provide an opportunity "for all relevant parties to accelerate efforts to achieve just and sustainable peace". And while Guyana's representative said that the text is an important step towards a peaceful end to the war, she said that there would have been added value in affirming support for the UN Charter - particularly States' obligation to refrain from the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any State.
Pakistan's representative - noting that the "priority of peace has remained largely absent and elusive", even as the security, humanitarian and economic crises have intensified - said: "A different approach was perhaps required." He therefore expressed hope that today's resolution will "lend impetus to an inclusive peace process that yields a durable solution in accordance with international law".
Panama's representative also voiced support for the resolution, as it is not objectionable due to its simplistic content. However, "its silence speaks more eloquently than its words", he observed, adding that his country understands the aftermath of violations of sovereignty and territorial integrity. "And for our own historic reasons, we have always rejected the aggression of one State against another," he said.
Recalling his delegation's repeated calls for the parties to engage in negotiations to reach a just and permanent peace in the region, the representative of Algeria said that "our call was the only criteria that Algeria used to determine its position today through our vote". Similarly, the representative of China, Council President for February, spoke in his national capacity to recall his country's "consistent principles and propositions on the Ukraine issue". He added: "The ultimate solution for any conflict lies at the peace table."
Russian Federation Welcomes Changes in United States Position
Meanwhile, the representative of the Russian Federation welcomed changes in the United States' position on the Ukrainian conflict. "It is clear that the militarizing Europe today is the only player internationally which wants the war to continue," he stated. And while today's text is not ideal, it is a first attempt to have a constructive and future-oriented product by the Council. The key outline of a restored European and international security "can already be seen in the American text and this gives us a certain optimism", he stated.
At the outset of the meeting, the representative of France proposed that today's vote be postponed, expressing concern that the text was introduced "without real negotiations among Council members". While the representative of the United Kingdom expressed strong support for that proposal, the representative of the United States opposed it. Ultimately, that proposal was rejected for failing to obtain a sufficient number of votes.
