UNITED NATIONS, Feb. 24 (Xinhua) -- The UN Security Council on Monday adopted a U.S.-drafted resolution appealing for a swift end to the conflict and urging a lasting peace between Russia and Ukraine, as the world marked the third anniversary since the full escalation of the crisis.
The resolution received 10 votes in favor, none against, and five abstentions including France, Britain, Denmark, Greece and Slovenia.
The document reiterates that the principal purpose of the United Nations, as expressed in the Charter of the United Nations, is to maintain international peace and security and peacefully settle disputes. The resolution implores a swift end to the conflict and mourns the loss of life in the war, without blaming Russia.
Acting U.S. Ambassador to the UN Dorothy Shea told the council that this resolution is not a "peace deal," but "a path to peace."
"It is high time for peace in Ukraine," UN Under-Secretary-General for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs Rosemary DiCarlo said during the Security Council meeting, while insisting that peace in Ukraine must be "just, sustainable and comprehensive."
Earlier in the day, the UN General Assembly rejected the U.S. draft and passed a resolution submitted by Ukraine and European allies, which backs Ukraine's sovereignty, independence, unity and territorial integrity and calls for a just, lasting and comprehensive peace in line with the UN Charter.
Resolutions in the UN Security Council are binding under international law. ■
