As the war in Ukraine completed its third full year, diplomats at the United Nations considered a resolution on the anniversary of the conflict. As The Washington Post reported, the Trump administration’s delegation did not stand with the United States’ traditional democratic allies.
The United States voted with Russia, North Korea, Belarus and 14 other Moscow-friendly countries Monday on a resolution condemning Russian aggression in Ukraine and calling for its occupied territory to be returned that passed overwhelmingly in the U.N. General Assembly on Monday.
As NBC News reported, the United States actually lobbied countries around the world to oppose the resolution brought by Ukraine and European countries.
In fairness, I should mention that the Trump administration’s diplomatic team also opposed a Russian amendment related to the “root causes” of the war that Russia started, but that doesn’t change the fact that, ahead of Inauguration Day 2025, the United States would’ve backed the resolution championed by our allies and not voted with Russia and North Korea.
Now, that’s no longer the case.
If this sounds at all familiar, it’s not your imagination. We learned last week that our G7 allies also drafted a resolution that described Russia as the aggressor in the war with Ukraine, and the Trump administration reportedly edited the draft, removing phrases that “could be interpreted as being pro-Ukraine.”
This also coincides with several key figures from the Trump administration and the White House appearing on Sunday shows and refusing to say that Russia started the war in Ukraine.
This came on the heels of Trump lying about “missing” money the United States sent to Ukraine in the form of aid.
Which came on the heels of Trump repeatedly labeling Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy as a “dictator.”
Which came on the heels of Trump accusing Ukraine of “starting” the war that Russia started.
Which came on the heels of Trump excluding Ukrainian officials from diplomatic talks about Ukraine’s future.
Which came on the heels of Trump vouching for Vladimir Putin’s trustworthiness and interest in “peace.”
Which came on the heels of Trump saying he’s prepared to reward Russia by welcoming it back into the G7.
Which came on the heels of allegations that Trump, during his first term, secretly sent Covid-19 testing equipment to Putin at the height of the pandemic, even as people in his own country struggled to gain access to such resources. (While Trump denied the allegations, the Kremlin — to the extent that its statements have merit — said Trump did, in fact, send Covid tests to Moscow.)
Which came on the heels of Trump denouncing U.S. efforts to combat Russian misinformation campaigns, going so far as to characterize Russia as a victim.
Which came on the heels of Trump talking up the possibility of lifting U.S. sanctions against Russia. Which came on the heels of Trump publicly congratulating Russia over a historic prisoner swap. Which came on the heels of Trump pointing to Putin for validation to justify his position on Ukraine. Which came on the heels of Trump celebrating the fact that Putin was echoing his talking points about the 2024 election and Trump’s multiple criminal indictments. Which came on the heels of Trump telling a Mar-a-Lago audience how “smart” Putin was for invading a neighboring country. Which came on the heels of Trump describing Putin’s invasion of Ukraine as “genius” and part of a “wonderful” strategy. Which came on the heels of years’ worth of Trump kowtowing, genuflecting and repeatedly showing abject weakness toward Moscow. The Republican Party’s “Putin wing” used to be limited to a handful of fringe House GOP members. In 2025, the party’s “Putin wing” has taken root in the West Wing. This post updates our related earlier coverage.
Steve Benen is a producer for "The Rachel Maddow Show," the editor of MaddowBlog and an MS NOW political contributor. He's also the bestselling author of "Ministry of Truth: Democracy, Reality, and the Republicans' War on the Recent Past."
Latest Post
Recommended
