Kremlin hails 'balanced' US position on Ukraine after UN vote

WASHINGTON

The Kremlin on Tuesday praised Washington's "balanced position" after the U.S. voted with Russia at the United Nations to avoid condemnation of Moscow's campaign against Ukraine.

The United States sided with Russia in two votes in New York on Feb. 24, signaling a seismic shift as U.S. President Donald Trump stakes out a drastically new position on Ukraine.

"The U.S. is taking a much more balanced position which is really aimed at trying to resolve the Ukraine conflict. We welcome this," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.

Peskov said comments from European leaders "do not signal balance," adding: "But, perhaps, as a result of contacts between the Europeans and the Americans, somehow Europe will gravitate towards greater balance."

The United States sided with Russia twice Monday at the United Nations, as they sought to avoid any condemnation of Moscow's invasion of its neighbor three years ago.

The two votes highlighted a seismic shift in the balance of power at the U.N., where Washington had steadfastly voted for resolutions that favored Ukraine and condemned Russia, until the abrupt rupture with Kiev.

As U.S. President Donald Trump stakes out a new position on the Ukraine war, Washington and Russia aligned first at a morning vote at the General Assembly and again at an afternoon vote of the Security Council.

A European-backed text won 93 votes for at the General Assembly and 18 votes against, with 65 abstentions and Washington sided with Moscow and Russian allies Belarus, North Korea and Sudan to vote against the text.

The resolution — which won far less support compared to previous ones on the war — strongly criticizes Russia, and emphasizes Ukraine's territorial integrity and inviolability of its borders.

Washington drafted a rival resolution amid an intensifying feud between Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

But Ukraine's European allies pushed to heavily reword the U.S. text to say that the "full-scale invasion of Ukraine" had been carried out by Russia, meaning Washington ultimately did not vote in favor of its own text.

Undeterred, the United States brought the earlier, unchanged text to a vote at the Security Council in the afternoon, securing its passage with 10 votes for and none against — alongside five abstentions.

The abstentions were France, Britain, Denmark, Greece, and Slovenia.

 Macron warns peace don't mean 'surrender'

French President Emmanuel Macron warned Monday that peace cannot mean the "surrender" of Ukraine, but said talks with Trump had shown a path forward despite fears of a transatlantic rift.

Meeting at the White House on the third anniversary of Russia's invasion, the two leaders said there was progress on the idea of sending peacekeepers to Ukraine, although Macron insisted on U.S. security guarantees for Kiev.

Their talks came as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called for peace "this year" as he met European leaders in Kiev — amid mounting fears that Trump is pivoting towards Russia's stance.

Early Tuesday, air raid sirens sounded across Ukraine as authorities warned of a wide missile attack.

They later reported at least five people were wounded and multiple buildings were damaged.

Authorities in neighboring Poland said they scrambled military aircraft in response to the missile attack.

At the United Nations, the United States sided with Russia twice on Monday, as Washington sought to avoid any condemnation of Moscow's invasion of its pro-Western neighbor.

"This peace cannot mean the surrender of Ukraine," Macron told a joint news conference with Trump.

Macron said Trump had "good reason" to re-engage with Russian President Vladimir Putin but said it was critical for Washington to offer "backup" for any European peacekeeping force.

The French president said he would work with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who visits the White House on Thursday, on a proposal to send peacekeeping troops to Ukraine in the event of a deal.

"After speaking with President Trump, I fully believe there is a path forward," said Macron.

Trump's recent embrace of Russia has sparked fears not only that it could spell the end of U.S. support for Kiev, but for the rest of Europe too.

The U.S. president said Monday he was confident of bringing an end to the war, and that he expected Zelensky at the White House in the next two weeks to sign a deal granting Washington access to Ukraine's rare minerals.

"I think we could end it within weeks — if we're smart. If we're not smart, it will keep going," Trump said earlier in the Oval Office alongside Macron.

Macron later agreed that a truce was possible in "weeks," in an interview with Fox News's Bret Baier.

Trump meanwhile added that Putin was ready to "accept" European troops deployed in Ukraine as guarantors of a deal to end fighting.

But billionaire tycoon Trump repeated his demands that Europe bears the burden for future support of Ukraine, and that the U.S. recoups the billions of dollars in aid it has given Kiev.

He also declined to call Putin a dictator — despite calling Zelensky one last week — or to comment on the U.N. resolutions.

For his part, Putin has been biding his time since his ice-breaking call with Trump less than two weeks ago.

Putin said in an interview with state television Monday that European countries can "participate" in talks to resolve the conflict in Ukraine, his first sign of flexibility on the issue.

Kremlin said Tuesday that it sees potential for cooperation with the U.S. on developing Russia's large reserves of strategically important rare and rare earth minerals.

"Quite broad prospects are opening up here," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told journalists, adding: "the Americans need rare earth minerals. We have a lot of them."

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Decisive break

Sanctions-hit Moscow is meanwhile also eying the economic side, just as Trump is. Putin said Monday that U.S. and Russian companies were "in touch" on joint economic projects - including strategic minerals in occupied Ukraine.

Putin added in his interview with state television that Zelensky was becoming a "toxic figure" in Ukraine - in comments that have been echoed by Trump.

Trump and Putin are eyeing a possible meeting in the coming weeks in Saudi Arabia.

Zelensky, who has said he would step down in exchange for peace with a guarantee that Ukraine could join NATO, called on Monday for a "real, lasting peace" this year.

Putin's decision to launch the invasion in February 2022 set off the biggest conflict in Europe since World War II, leading to the deaths of tens of thousands of soldiers on both sides and of Ukrainian civilians.

Trump has however accused Ukraine of starting the war, as he rapidly moves to abandon Democratic predecessor Joe Biden's support for Kiev.

The Republican spelled things out on Monday, saying he was making a "decisive break" with traditional U.S. foreign policy which he called "very foolish."