US abstention on UN's Ukraine peace vote prompt's ex-envoy's ire

Magdalena Del Valle, Bloomberg News on Feb 24, 2026

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NEW YORK — The United States abstained from a U.N. vote supporting a lasting peace in Ukraine, prompting criticism from President Donald Trump’s former Ukraine envoy.

“A UN vote on a lasting peace in Ukraine and we abstained. Go figure,” Keith Kellogg, who served as special envoy for Ukraine and Russia last year, wrote in a social media post Tuesday. “It is not a business deal-it is war.”

The retired general blasted the U.S. for not voting in favor of a General Assembly resolution that called for an immediate ceasefire, reaffirmed Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity and emphasized the importance of the UN charter on the four-year anniversary of the Russian invasion. The UN resolution passed with 107 votes in favor, 12 against — including Russia — and 51 abstentions.

Under Trump, the U.S. has mostly ignored European and Ukrainian pleas to put more economic and military pressure on Russia, arguing that aggressive moves might derail the chance of a peace deal with Russian leader Vladimir Putin.

The resolution “includes language that is likely to distract from ongoing negotiations, rather than support discussion of the full range of diplomatic avenues that may pave the way to that durable peace,” Deputy U.S. Ambassador to the UN Tammy Bruce said at the General Assembly, while emphasizing the U.S. is still working to bring the war to an end.

While Kellogg’s term as Ukraine envoy has lapsed, with talks now spearheaded by Trump envoy Steve Witkoff, his criticism on Tuesday took aim at Trump’s transactional diplomacy on the brutal war.

The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Kellogg’s criticism, while the U.S. mission to the UN referred to Bruce’s comments.

Trump has sought to pressure Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy into agreeing to let the U.S. benefit from any of Ukraine’s untapped resources.

The U.S. president also expressed interest in joint U.S.-Russia business deals if the war is brought to an end. The Kremlin has also set out proposals for wide-ranging economic partnership with the Trump administration.

The U.S. abstention to the UN measure follows a Group of Seven statement earlier Tuesday that reaffirmed the group’s support for Ukraine.

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