US senators from both major parties introduced a resolution on Thursday in support of Ukraine in its fight against Russian invaders, hours before President Donald Trump is due to deliver his State of the Union address, Reuters reported.
The resolution was introduced by Democratic Senator Jeanne Shaheen and Republican Senator Tom Tillis, who co-chair the Senate's NATO Watch Group. The document includes at least 26 other co-sponsors, evenly split between Republicans and Democrats and representing more than a quarter of the Senate.
The resolution calls for promoting strong cooperation among NATO allies and insists that any peace agreement respect Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity and "include Ukraine as a central party in discussions about its future."
The resolution was introduced at a time when the government of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is under increasing pressure from the United States to conclude a peace agreement, Reuters reports. Although it does not have the force of law, it illustrates the strong support for the government in Kiev from many politicians in Washington, and its introduction hours before Trump's speech sends a signal that lawmakers want the president to do more to support Ukraine.
Trump's speech coincides with the fourth anniversary of the start of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, a conflict the president has not yet ended despite promising he could stop it "in 24 hours."
Members of the US Congress, including some of Trump's fellow Republicans and Democrats, have urged him to do more to help Zelensky's government, including sending all the financial and military aid they have approved over the past few years.
“Congress must continue to support Ukraine and put real pressure on the Kremlin. This pressure should include sanctions against Russia's "shadow fleet" to limit Putin's ability to finance the war and should be implemented in conjunction with our allies, Shaheen said in a statement.
The UN General Assembly in New York called last night for an immediate ceasefire and lasting peace in Ukraine, on the fourth anniversary of Russia's full-scale invasion of the country, DPA reported.
A total of 107 member states of the world organization voted in favor of the resolution in New York, 12 voted against, and 51 abstained.
The resolution calls for an "immediate, complete and unconditional ceasefire" between Russia and Ukraine and demands a "comprehensive, just and lasting peace" on the basis of international law.
The UN Security Council will also consider this issue, DPA notes.
Polish Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski said that Ukraine deserves EU candidate status, given its courage in the face of Russian aggression, but must meet specific requirements for joining the bloc, the Polish news agency PAP reported.
Sikorski arrived in Kiev last night to mark four years since Russia began its full-scale war in Ukraine. Speaking to reporters, he said that “Ukraine has earned candidate status through its courage“.
“We have started negotiations and also wanted to open one of the negotiation clusters during our [Polish] presidency [of the Council of the European Union in the first half of 2025]“, Sikorski said of efforts to accelerate EU enlargement with Ukraine.
“Hungary prevented us from doing so, demonizing Ukraine among its electorate, imposing conditions and blackmailing it“, added the Polish top diplomat.
“This will not be an easy process... especially since Ukraine, of course, must meet all the conditions“, Sikorski pointed out.
He also said that Kiev has not yet fully implemented the Association Agreement between the EU and Ukraine and that there are still a number of issues, but acknowledged that there are already areas in which it is fully compatible with the EU, such as energy.