Headlines
Countries tell Ukraine 'you are not alone' after UN adopts neutral stance on war
Published by Global Banking & Finance Review®
Posted on February 25, 2025
2 min readLast updated: January 25, 2026
Global Banking & Finance Review®
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Published by Global Banking & Finance Review®
Posted on February 25, 2025
2 min readLast updated: January 25, 2026
Countries rally behind Ukraine at a UN meeting, emphasizing support for its sovereignty despite the UN's neutral stance on the conflict.
By Emma Farge
GENEVA (Reuters) - Dozens of countries rallied behind Ukraine at a meeting at the United Nations in Geneva on Tuesday, a day after the U.N. Security Council adopted a U.S.-drafted resolution that takes a neutral stance on the conflict.
The event, held to commemorate "resistance to the Russian aggression", follows the resolution adopted in New York on the war's third anniversary that reflects President Donald Trump's upending of U.S. policy on Ukraine and his more conciliatory stance towards Russia.
"You are not alone. Norway and other countries, all the countries who are here, but also other countries, will continue to support you as you fight for your territorial integrity, your sovereignty and your human dignity," Norway's Deputy Foreign Minister Andreas Motzfeldt Kravik told a packed room of ministers and diplomats.
Thousands of Ukrainian citizens have died since Russia invaded in 2022 and more than 6 million are refugees abroad. Russia has said it had no choice but to launch what it calls its "special military operation" due to the NATO alliance's eastwards expansion.
Estonia's Minna-Liina Lind, Undersecretary for Global Affairs, told the room she was "extremely worried" by the fact that the Security Council passed a resolution that does not include long-held language on Ukraine's territorial integrity.
"But I think the European resolve is even greater. When there's someone else not as strong, the others fill in," she told Reuters after the meeting, co-organised by Ukraine and Liechtenstein on the sidelines of the U.N. Human Rights Council.
The U.S. failed to convince the U.N. General Assembly to pass the same resolution that passed in the Security Council on Monday. The General Assembly instead adopted motions seen as more favourable for Ukraine, in a diplomatic victory over Washington.
Most countries attending the Geneva event were European and included France and Germany, but others such as Turkey, South Korea, Australia and Japan were also present. Washington sent a delegate who did not take the floor.
Ukraine's ambassador Yevheniia Filipenko, who at one point became emotional while addressing the room, asked countries to continue their support for rebuilding Ukraine and seeking accountability for crimes committed since Russia's invasion.
"The road ahead is very challenging but when we are united we can prevail," she said.
(Reporting by Emma Farge in Geneva; Editing by Nia Williams)
The meeting in Geneva was held to commemorate 'resistance to the Russian aggression' and to show support for Ukraine following the UN Security Council's resolution.
Countries that attended the meeting included Norway, France, Germany, Turkey, South Korea, Australia, and Japan, demonstrating a broad international coalition.
Estonia's Undersecretary for Global Affairs expressed extreme worry that the resolution passed by the Security Council did not include long-held language supporting Ukraine's sovereignty.
Since Russia's invasion in 2022, thousands of Ukrainian citizens have died, and more than 6 million have become refugees abroad.
Ukraine's ambassador, Yevheniia Filipenko, emphasized the need for continued support in rebuilding Ukraine and seeking accountability for the war's impacts.
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