The UN General Assembly voiced support for Ukraine on Tuesday on the fourth anniversary of Russia’s invasion, with the United States among countries abstaining from the vote.

Israel backed the resolution in a rare break from the US, its closest ally in the United Nations.

The assembly passed a resolution saying it was committed to “the sovereignty, independence, unity and territorial integrity of Ukraine within its internationally recognized borders.”

It passed by a tally of 107 countries in favor, 12 against, and 51 abstentions, which included the United States.

The resolution also called for an immediate and unconditional ceasefire and “comprehensive, just and lasting peace.”

The Israeli and American UN missions discussed the upcoming vote beforehand, The Times of Israel learned.

Israel’s UN envoy Danny Danon told The Times of Israel that “the US and Israel each have their own calculations. We take into account a number of factors, including Russian votes against us at the UN. Sometimes there is language in the resolution that the US can’t accept.”

The US delegation had pressed for a separate vote on paragraphs involving Ukraine’s territorial integrity and international law but this idea was rejected.

The transition from Joe Biden to Donald Trump in the White House last year has seen firm, unconditional US support for Ukraine cool dramatically.

Trump has brought Russian leader Vladimir Putin back in from the diplomatic cold, and Washington has repeatedly refused to condemn the Russian invasion of 2022.

US deputy ambassador Tammy Bruce said she welcomed the UN appeal for a ceasefire.

But she said the resolution includes “language that is likely to distract” from diplomatic efforts to end the war rather than support them. She did not identify these words.

Still, leaders of the G7 global powers, including Trump, on Tuesday reaffirmed their “unwavering support for Ukraine” in a statement on the fourth anniversary of the invasion.

A month after Trump returned to power in January 2025, the United States voted against a UN General Assembly resolution calling for a “just and lasting peace” to end the war.

The US delegation later won Security Council passage of a Russian-backed resolution that called for peace but made no mention of Ukraine’s territorial integrity, frustrating Ukraine’s European allies.

Until then the council had failed to speak out on the war because Russia consistently used its veto power.

“Despite peace efforts led by the US and supported by Europe, Russia continues to demonstrate no genuine willingness to stop this aggression,” Ukraine’s Deputy Foreign Minister Mariana Betsa said.

Russia’s deputy ambassador Anna Evstigneeva answered, saying Ukraine should focus on diplomacy to end the war “rather than initiating yet another politicized vote.”

A year ago, Israel joined the US and Russia in voting against a United Nations General Assembly resolution calling to reaffirm Ukraine’s territorial integrity, rejecting a strongly worded condemnation of Russia’s invasion of its neighbor on the war’s third anniversary.

Israel’s vote, likely an overture to Trump, marked the first time the country had voted against Ukraine and with Russia since the war began.

Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar announced Tuesday that Israel will send 117 power generators to Ukraine. The devices are to be deployed in the Kyiv region, his office said in a statement.

The move came following discussions with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha “on the urgent energy needs,” it said.

“As communities continue to face attacks on critical infrastructure, Israel remains committed to providing practical, life-saving humanitarian assistance on the ground,” the statement said, referring to Russia’s targeting of energy-linked targets in Ukraine.

Sa’ar also spoke by phone with Rabbi Meir Stambler, chairman of the Federation of Jewish Communities of Ukraine.

In a statement confirming the phone call with Sa’ar, Sybiha said he thanked Israel for its vote at the UN.

“This is about supporting life, peace, and truth,” Andrii Sybiha wrote on X. “We discussed our bilateral agenda and common security challenges, including those posed by Iran.”

“I expressed gratitude for Israel’s humanitarian assistance during this difficult winter, particularly 117 mobile generators that will be provided to the Kyiv region tomorrow,” Sybiha added.

Israel has resisted providing weapons to Ukraine — which requested air defense systems — saying it needed to avoid jeopardizing diplomatic relations with Moscow.

A second main reason given at the start of the war was the strategic need to maintain freedom of operations in Syria, where Russian forces largely controlled the airspace.

However, this has changed since the fall of the Moscow-allied Assad regime last year.

Sa’ar met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Sybiha in Kyiv in July, where they agreed to initiate a bilateral strategic dialogue on the Iranian threat.

That dialogue is expected to take place next month.

Ukraine has taken a series of steps supporting Israeli positions recently. Last December, it abstained from a UN vote against Israel at the International Court of Justice, and in February, designated the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Crops as a terrorist organization.

© 2026 The Times of Israel