Ukraine is Losing Support at the United Nations

The Trump administration is colluding with Russia to cause chaos at the UN

Three years ago, there was a deep solidarity for Ukraine at the UN. Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine violated a core principle of the United Nations—that more powerful countries ought not to seize the territory of their neighbors or topple their governments. Standing up for territorial integrity and sovereignty against a clear aggressor was something that most countries believed to be a key tenet of the UN and one worth defending.

This view extended far beyond Europe, which was suddenly under direct threat. Kenya’s ambassador to the UN at the time, Martin Kimani, eloquently drew on Africa’s own colonial history to make the case for why the world ought to rally behind Ukraine. On the eve of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, he delivered the single most impactful speech I’ve covered in nearly twenty years of reporting on the UN.

Kenya and almost every African country was birthed by the ending of empire. Our borders were not of our own drawing. They were drawn in the distant colonial metropoles of London, Paris, and Lisbon, with no regard for the ancient nations that they cleaved apart.

…

We believe that all states formed from empires that have collapsed or retreated have many peoples in them yearning for integration with peoples in neighboring states. This is normal and understandable. After all, who does not want to be joined to their brethren and to make common purpose with them? However, Kenya rejects such a yearning from being pursued by force. We must complete our recovery from the embers of dead empires in a way that does not plunge us back into new forms of domination and oppression.

We rejected irredentism and expansionism on any basis, including racial, ethnic, religious, or cultural factors. We— we reject it again today… Let me conclude, Mr. President, by reaffirming Kenya's respect for the territorial integrity of Ukraine within its internationally recognized borders.

That speech made a difference. It helped galvanize former colonies of the Global South—which today make up the majority of member states at the United Nations—to view Russia’s aggression through an anti-colonialist lens. Ten days later, the UN General Assembly voted overwhelmingly to condemn Russia’s full-scale invasion: 141 countries voted in favor, 35 abstained, and just five voted against (Russia, Belarus, North Korea, Syria, Eritrea).

But as the conflict dragged on, that unity wavered, particularly as the war massively affected food and fuel prices in the Global South. A sort of fatigue set in. While Europe remained firm, fewer countries in the Global South were willing to take a righteous stand in defense of Ukraine’s sovereignty.

The cause may still be just. But for the last several months, the diplomatic tide has been turning against Ukraine at the United Nations. And since Trump took office last month, this shift is swiftly accelerating, owing to some unprecedented actions taken by the United States at the UN in the just the last few days.

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