President Donald Trump's former Ukraine envoy on Tuesday criticized the United States for abstaining from a United Nations vote calling for a lasting peace in Ukraine, questioning whether four years of war and civilian suffering were not "enough."
"A UN vote on a lasting peace in Ukraine and we abstained. Go figure," Keith Kellogg wrote on X. "The Russian Federation was against the proclamation. Is not four years of war enough? Is not missing children, shelling of cities and the killing of innocents enough? It is not a business deal - it is war."
Kellogg, a retired U.S. Army lieutenant general, left his role in the White House at the end of last year.
The U.N. General Assembly adopted the resolution titled, "Support for lasting peace in Ukraine," that demands an immediate, full and unconditional ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine.
NO UKRAINE PEACE DEAL AFTER LENGTHY FIVE-HOUR PUTIN-WITKOFF-KUSHNER MEETING
The measure passed 107-12, with 51 countries abstaining, including the United States, while Russia, Belarus and Iran voted against it.
The resolution also calls for an exchange of prisoners of war and the return of civilians, including children, who were forcibly transferred or deported.
The White House on Wednesday referred Fox News Digital to a statement from the U.S. Mission to the United Nations following the vote.
TRUMP TOUTS 'TREMENDOUS PROGRESS' BUT SAYS HE'LL MEET PUTIN AND ZELENSKYY 'ONLY WHEN' PEACE DEAL IS FINAL
Ambassador Tammy Bruce, U.S. deputy representative to the United Nations, defended the abstention, saying Washington supports ending the war but objected to certain language in the resolution.
"The United States welcomes, of course, the call for an immediate ceasefire. As we've said, this resolution also includes language that is likely to distract from ongoing negotiations, rather than support discussion of the full range of diplomatic avenues that may pave the way to that durable peace," Bruce said. "For this reason, the United States called for a vote on the two paragraphs and ultimately chose to abstain on the resolution."
"What is needed now to end the war is political will. We believe we are closer to a deal than at any point since this war began. Let this be the last anniversary of an ongoing war that has continued for far too long and at far too great a cost," she added. "Let's end it now."
Tuesday marked the fourth anniversary of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff said during an event hosted by the Victor Pinchuk Foundation and Yalta European Strategy that Rustem Umerov, the head of Ukraine's National Security and Defense Council, was expected to travel to Geneva on Thursday for talks with him and Jared Kushner.
The discussions are part of ongoing diplomatic efforts aimed at reaching a negotiated settlement to end the war between Moscow and Kyiv.
