On the third anniversary of the war in Ukraine, when the Russian Federation launched its full-scale invasion on a sovereign country in clear violation of the UN Charter, the Security Council adopted its first resolution urging a swift end to the conflict. The resolution, tabled by the United States, passed with 10 votes in favor and 5 abstentions. Slovenia, along with Denmark, France, Greece and the United Kingdom, abstained from the vote and emphasized that peace in Ukraine needs to be firmly anchored in the UN Charter.

In an explanation of vote, Ambassador Samuel Žbogar expressed support to the objective of the US resolution in charting a path to peace. However, he stressed that “it is vital to determine the framework accompanying any peace negotiations.” Slovenia firmly believes peace in Ukraine must be grounded in the framework of the UN Charter, including its principles of sovereign equality and territorial integrity. Unfortunately, these basic tenets were not reflected in the text.

Slovenia, Denmark, France, Greece and the United Kingdom attempted to amend the text and proposed the addition of well-established language in support of Ukraine and the UN Charter but all three amendments failed to be adopted, two of them owing to the use of the veto by a permanent member.

While Slovenia regrets that language defending the basic principles of the UN Charter was not included, it hopes that the resolution helps pave the way to the peace we all seek. “Nobody wants peace more than Ukrainians and Europeans,” the Ambassador voiced, expressing readiness to work on a resolution that could garner the consensus of the Council.

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