The UN Security Council resolution 2774 is the first legally binding UN document since the beginning of the conflict, unlike non-binding resolutions by the General Assembly. Accordingly, the course towards ending the conflict and peace is now the responsibility of UN members, including both Russia and Ukraine, writes Valdai Club Programme DirectorOleg Barabanov.
On February 24, 2025, on the third anniversary of the escalation of the Ukraine conflict, the UN Security Council adopted its first substantive resolution regarding the issue.
On this day, the 9866th meeting of the UN Security Council took place. A draft resolution from the United States (very moderate and without condemnation of Russia) S/2025/112 was submitted for its consideration. This draft was very brief and consisted of two preambular paragraphs (the first lamenting the tragic loss of life throughout the Russia-Ukraine conflict; the second, a statement that the principal purpose of the UN is to peacefully settle disputes) and a single operative paragraph with a “strong request” stating that the organization “implores a swift end to the conflict and further urges a lasting peace.”
Here it is interesting that the split between the United States and its allies in Europe was already evident at that time. France, Britain, as well as non-permanent members of the Security Council Greece and Denmark, proposed to postpone the vote on the American resolution by one day, until February 25, since it was introduced “without consultation” with other members of the Security Council. Thus, first, the symbolism of adopting a resolution on the anniversary of the conflict would disappear, and, second, the media resonance from the UN work on this day would be reduced only to the adoption of a Ukrainian-EU-British resolution in the General Assembly harshly condemning Russia. The USA strongly protested against the postponement. A procedural vote on this issue took place. Its results are very indicative. Not only the four aforementioned countries and Slovenia spoke out for the postponement, but, quite unexpectedly, China joined them. The USA, as well as Panama and Somalia, spoke out against the postponement; the Russian Federation, as well as Algeria, Guyana, Pakistan, South Korea and Sierra Leone, abstained. The required majority of the total composition of the Security Council was not reached. It is China’s position that looks extremely peculiar here. China’s siding with the European countries against the USA and not in the interests of Russia is very indicative. Perhaps we will see whether it also characterises the beginning of a new Chinese strategy in the changed geopolitical balance of power in the world.
China’s approach also manifested in the discussion of amendments to the American resolution during the debate in the Security Council. During the procedural vote on the Russian amendment S/2025/118, firstly, to replace the preambular phrase “Russian Federation-Ukraine conflict” with the phrase “conflict around Ukraine”, and secondly, in the operative part on the call for lasting peace, to replace the phrase “between Ukraine and the Russian Federation” with the phrase “in Ukraine,” China (as well as SCO member Pakistan and Algeria, which is closely associated with Russia in military-technical cooperation) did not support Russia, and chose to abstain. Also, China, Pakistan and Algeria did not oppose, like Russia, but abstained from voting on an amendment introduced by Britain and the EU members to the Security Council S/2025/114, to replace the same phrase “Russian Federation-Ukraine conflict” with the phrase “the full-scale invasion of Ukraine by the Russian Federation”. On the other hand, those non-permanent members of the Security Council that (according to the context of their previous votes in the UN) could well support this amendment also decided to abstain (Guyana, Panama, Sierra Leone and Somalia). The United States also abstained. In addition to Britain and EU members, only South Korea voted for this amendment.
Another amendment by Britain and the EU members S/2025/115, to supplement the preamble of the resolution with a new paragraph “reaffirming its commitment to the sovereignty, independence, unity and territorial integrity of Ukraine, within its internationally recognised borders, extending to its territorial waters” was supported, among others, by Algeria, while China and Pakistan again abstained. Russia voted against.
But the most telling moment came during the procedural vote on the third Anglo-EU amendment S/2025/116, to change the moderate American wording of the operative part of the resolution “The Security Council implores a swift end to the conflict and further urges a lasting peace between Ukraine and the Russian Federation” to a different wording: “implores a swift end to the conflict and further urges a just, lasting and comprehensive peace between Ukraine and Russia, in line with the UN Charter and the principles of sovereign equality and territorial integrity of States”. Here, China did not abstain; it voted for the amendment. Algeria also voted “for”. Pakistan abstained and Russia voted against.
The only procedural vote in the Security Council where China voted in solidarity with Russia was on another Russian draft amendment S/2025/117, where it was proposed to supplement the operative part with the phrase “including addressing its root causes”. In addition to Russia and China, Algeria voted for this amendment, and Pakistan again abstained.
As a result, none of the amendments were adopted according to the procedural rules of the Security Council, and the originally-proposed American resolution was put to a final vote. The US, Russia, China, as well as Algeria, Guyana, Panama, Pakistan, South Korea, Sierra Leone and Somalia voted for it. No one voted against it; the European NATO members were afraid to speak out against the US so openly. In the end, Britain, France, as well as Denmark, Greece, and Slovenia abstained.
As a result, the Security Council adopted its first substantive resolution on Ukraine since 2022. It received the number S/RES/2774 (2025).
Earlier, as we recall, all substantive proposed resolutions on the Ukrainian conflict since 2022 were vetoed by permanent members of the Security Council. This was the case with draft resolution S/2022/155 condemning Russia immediately after the start of the conflict on February 25, 2022, the Russian draft resolution on the humanitarian consequences of the conflict S/2022/231 on March 23, 2022, the Western draft resolution after the referendums in the new Russian regions S/2022/720 on September 30, 2022, the Russian draft on biological weapons in Ukraine S/2022/821 on November 2, 2022 and the Russian draft on the bombing of the Nord Stream gas pipeline S/2023/212 on March 27, 2023.
Despite the extremely mild wording of this new Security Council resolution 2774 (“strongly requests” and “implores”), it is the first legally binding UN document since the beginning of the conflict, unlike non-binding resolutions by the General Assembly. Accordingly, the course towards ending the conflict and peace is now the responsibility of UN members, including both Russia and Ukraine.