Statement by Ambassador at the Security Council
meeting on Ukraine.
Thank you, President. Thank you to USG DiCarlo for your
briefing.
President, on Thursday, people in New York woke to news of yet
another Russian attack against Ukraine. This time, Russia was
responsible for the deaths of more than 50 people in the small
village of Hroza when a missile struck a café, and we extend our
condolences to the bereaved.
As my Prime Minister said, the attack demonstrates the depths of
depravity Russian forces are willing to sink to. Then on Friday,
Russia struck Kharkiv. A 10-year-old boy was killed and more
than 20 people were injured. The Office for the High
Commissioner of Human Rights reported last week that Russian air
strikes between February and August this year killed at least 262
civilians and injured 990, and inflicted further broad
economic and social damage.
The same OHCHR report addressed the attack on 28 July 2022 that
killed more than 50 Ukrainian prisoners of war at Olenivka.
Contrary to Russian claims made many times in this Council, the
OHCHR found the attack was launched from Russian-controlled
territory, and that Russia was holding those prisoners in a
manner that contravenes international humanitarian
law.
Yet again, today our Russian colleagues will drag us into
their world of disinformation, where facts are dismissed as
lies, and lies presented as facts.
President, Russia’s words in this Council are worthless to
those who want to understand Russia’s aggression against Ukraine
and its true cost.
Let’s remind ourselves of some facts.
Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine is illegal, as is
Russia’s control of Ukrainian territory inside Ukraine’s
internationally-recognised borders.
The body of evidence of Russia’s breaches of international
law and international humanitarian law in the course of its
invasion continues to grow. Just as Russian claims about the
attack at Olenivka have been disproved, the truth will catch up
with Russia’s lies.
President, we praise and admire the bravery and resolve of the
Ukrainian people in the face of this assault on its sovereignty
and territorial integrity. We thank the United Nations staff
whose record of Russian human rights violations and abuses, as
well as violations of international law, show the reality of
Russia’s invasion, and support future efforts toward justice.
We will continue to support Ukraine in exercising its right
to self-defence, and as it brings together Member States in
support of our shared goal of a just and lasting peace in line
with the UN Charter.
We call once more for Russia to end its illegal invasion, and
withdraw from Ukraine’s internationally recognised borders.
