A U-turn that has left a void in Ukraine’s defence against Russia: Data

The U.S., which is the lead supplier of Ukraine’s warplanes, sensors, missiles, armoured vehicles, and air defence, has changed its position in the UNGA

On February 24, for the first time, the U.S. voted against the peaceful resolution of the Russia-Ukraine war. This vote, along with its decision on March 4 to pause military aid, shows a marked shift in the U.S.’s policy towards Ukraine, which has depended heavily on it throughout the war for its military needs.

Among the 176 member countries of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) that participated in the draft resolution, Advancing a comprehensive, just and lasting peace in Ukraine, 93 voted in favour, while 65 countries, including India, abstained from voting.

Only 18 countries voted against the resolution. The U.S. was joined by Russia, North Korea, and Belarus, countries with which it has never once agreed on Ukraine-related decisions. Its decision clashed with those of countries that had aligned with the U.S. in over 80% of the UNGA resolutions in the past, including Canada, Britain, Australia, and France.

Chart 1 shows the share (in %) of countries which voted in favour of Ukraine and against it in UN resolutions regarding the country.

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The U.S.’s U-turn has implications for Ukraine, which is still trying to defend itself against Russian invasion. Ever since Russia’s initial occupation of the Crimean Peninsula in 2014, over 40 countries have extended financial, humanitarian, and military aid to Ukraine. The U.S.’s total contribution of €114 billion is the largest since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022. It remains the leading donor in military, humanitarian, and financial aid to Ukraine in this period. European nations have together contributed €132 billion.

Chart 2 shows the top five countries that have donated military aid to Ukraine since 2022 (in %). The U.S. has donated €64 billion, more than half of all the military aid received by Ukraine during the war. The U.K. is at a distant second, having donated about 10% of the total amount.