Trump pressured Netanyahu to vote with Russia, against Ukraine in UN – report

US reportedly ‘insisted’ Israel vote against resolution in the United Nations General Assembly affirming Ukraine’s territorial integrity, joining Russia and North Korea in opposing the measure.

By World Israel News Staff

Israel voted this week against a United Nations resolution backing Ukraine’s territorial integrity, amid pressure from the United States to actively oppose the measure, an Israeli official claimed.

The vote, which was held in the United Nations General Assembly on Monday, marks the first time since the outbreak of the Russia-Ukraine war in 2022 that Israel’s mission to the UN has voted against Ukraine and backed the Russian position.

Monday’s resolution is symbolic, condemning Moscow over its invasion of Ukraine and demanding Russia withdraw all of its forces from Ukrainian territory, including Russian-majority provinces in eastern Ukraine annexed to Russia.

The resolution passed by a wide majority of 93 to 18, with 65 abstentions.

The United States joined Russia in opposing the resolution, along with North Korea, Belarus, Hungary, and Israel.

Iran, China, and the United Arab Emirates all abstained.

Speaking with the Jewish Insider in a report published Tuesday, an unnamed Israeli official emphasized that while Israel supports Ukraine’s position, Jerusalem was subjected to intense pressure from Washington to vote against Monday’s measure.

“There was a lot of pressure from the U.S., they really insisted,” the official said. “It came at all levels, at the U.N., in Washington and in Israel.”

The official emphasized that the vote “is not our position.”

It “wasn’t easy for us … We preferred to avoid this situation. We had no choice but to take a side.”

While Israel “could have abstained,” the official continued, “because we asked for a lot from [the Trump administration] in recent weeks and days, the decision was to go all the way with them.”

The UN resolution L.10, identical to another measure passed with 141 votes in February 2023, was introduced to the General Assembly by Ukraine’s deputy foreign affairs minister.

The American mission to the UN, which voted in favor of the Ukrainian draft two years ago, submitted a rival resolution which was rejected by the General Assembly.

The U.S.-backed draft resolution, L.11, emphasized the need for a “swift end to the conflict” and a “lasting peace between Ukraine and the Russian Federation,” without demanding a Russian withdrawal or condemning Russia’s invasion.

Ukraine slammed Israel’s decision to vote against the Ukrainian-backed draft resolution.

“The resolution was blaming Russia for the war and supporting Ukrainian territorial integrity. Israel could have abstained, and it voted against it … It would be like if Ukraine would vote against returning the hostages to Israel,” Ukrainian Ambassador to Israel Yevgen Kornichuk told the Jewish Insider.

“This is really harming our relations.”

However, Ukraine has regularly voted against Israel in the UN General Assembly, while never voting with the Jewish state on Israel-related measures.

According to the group UN Watch, over the past ten years, Ukraine has voted against Israel on 75% of all measures related to the Jewish state, and abstained 25% of the time.

Last year, Ukraine voted in favor of such anti-Israel measures as a resolution negating Israel’s right to self-defense against Palestinian terror and endorsing Arab sovereignty over Gaza, Judea, Samaria, and eastern Jerusalem.

Another measure passed last year and backed by Ukraine condemned Israeli towns in Judea, Samaria, the Golan Heights and Israeli neighborhoods in eastern Jerusalem.

RussiaTrump administrationUkraineUkraine-Russia warUnited Nations