"Thank you, Madam Chair. Last week the Russian Federation called
one of its more hypocritical UN Security Council meetings, this
time on ‘western weapons transfers to Ukraine'. This was
the cynical use of the Council to criticise support for a
sovereign state to exercise its legitimate and legal right to
defend itself against Russia's illegal war of aggression.
But in making these accusations, Russia succeeded only in
highlighting its own double standards and disinformation – the
hallmarks of its malign actions on our continent and
beyond. Because just days before the meeting, we learned
that Russia had taken delivery of Iranian ballistic missiles.
This transfer poses a direct threat to European security
just like those Russia received from DPRK, which took place in
violation of UN Security Council Resolutions.
There is a critical difference between the two situations, which
Russia neglects to acknowledge. In one, weapons are being
supplied to a sovereign State, Ukraine, to give it the means to
defend itself in accordance with international law. In
another, weapons are being sent to a state, Russia, which is
aggressively waging war against its neighbour which violates the
UN Charter and the Helsinki Final Act. And what is more,
these weapons are being used to wreak misery on Ukrainian
civilians.
The Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights has reported
nearly 12,000 deaths and close to 25,000 injuries among civilians
since Russia's illegal full-scale invasion began. The UN
Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine has reported a spike
in civilian deaths and injuries over the last two months, making
them the deadliest months so far of 2024.
Madam chair, we condemn in the strongest terms the shelling of a
frontline aid distribution site on 12 September that resulted in
the deaths of three members of staff from the International
Committee of the Red Cross. It is essential that
International Humanitarian Law is respected and that aid workers
can do their jobs, providing help to the most vulnerable.
The UK also condemns the Russian strike on a civilian cargo ship
carrying Ukrainian grain in the Black Sea on 11 September.
This was a deliberate attack on a Turkish-operated civilian ship,
transporting food to north Africa. Such attacks pose a
genuine threat to global food security.
Madam Chair, as my Prime Minister and Foreign Secretary made
clear last week, the UK's ironclad support for Ukraine's right to
self-defence will not waver in the face of Russian threats and
hypocrisy. Russia started this war by illegally invading
Ukraine. It could end it immediately by withdrawing.
Thank you."
