UK Military Advisor, Lt Col Joby Rimmer, reiterates the UK's call
for Russia to cease its unlawful aggression against Ukraine and
reaffirms Ukraine's right to self-defence under international
law.
"Thank you, Madame Chair. The United Kingdom again calls on the
Russian Federation to immediately cease its illegal and
unprovoked aggression against Ukraine. Prime Minister has been extremely clear:
Ukraine is not defeated. On the contrary, it has emerged as a
formidable fighting force, demonstrating extraordinary resilience
and determination in defending its sovereignty. And let us be
clear, Ukraine has an absolute right to defend itself against
aggression, and the United Kingdom stands firmly in support of
that right.
We remain focused on achieving a just and lasting peace. In
Istanbul, Ukraine demonstrated its commitment to peace by
offering reasonable and practical proposals aimed at securing an
unconditional ceasefire. Regrettably, Russia failed to
reciprocate. Instead, it presented maximalist, non-negotiable
demands that do not respect Ukraine's sovereignty. This behaviour
underscores that President Putin is not serious about peace and
remains committed to prolonging his illegal war.
Since Ukraine's offer of a full, unconditional ceasefire on 11
March 2025, Russia has continued its brutal campaign, launching
daily airstrikes that have killed over 500 civilians and injured
more than 2,700. We fully anticipate that the Russian Federation
will deliver more disinformation in this forum today about
alleged ‘acts of terrorism' from Ukraine. But the distinction
between Ukraine striking military targets and Russia hitting
civilian targets is a critical one, both morally and under
international law.
There is a clear difference. Ukraine's drone and missile strikes
have been targeting military infrastructure within Russian
territory or illegally occupied regions. These include airbases,
logistics hubs, ammunition depots, command and control centres
and radar and missile systems. These strikes are intended to
degrade Russia's ability to wage war, especially its long-range
bombing capabilities. Under international humanitarian law,
Ukraine is within its rights to target military assets of an
aggressor state, especially in self-defence.
In contrast, Russia has repeatedly launched drone and missile
attacks on civilian areas across Ukraine. These have included
Residential buildings, Hospitals and Schools, Energy
Infrastructure and Emergency Services. In Kharkiv, over 50
explosions were recorded, damaging residential buildings and
killing civilians. In Kyiv, three firefighters were killed while
responding to earlier strikes. Lviv, Lutsk, and Chernihiv also
suffered civilian casualties and infrastructure damage. The
Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights
verified a total of 45,000 civilian casualties as of 30th April
2025 and specified that the real numbers could be higher.
Russian strikes on civilians or civilian infrastructure are
either an attempt to terrorise the civilian population and break
morale (rather than achieve legitimate military objectives), or a
failure to adequately distinguish military targets and act
proportionately for military necessity. These are not the actions
of a nation seeking peace, despite what President Putin says.
These are the acts of blatant retaliation from the Kremlin,
following Ukraine's most successful and comprehensive strike
against Russian Strategic bomber air bases.
Russia's continued occupation in Ukraine and escalating
aggression are not only unlawful, but they are also
unsustainable. President Putin's full-scale invasion of Ukraine,
has now dragged on for over 1,200 days, resulting in catastrophic
losses - including an estimated one million Russian casualties.
President Putin continues to sacrifice Russian lives and futures
and must choose another path – one of peace, responsibility and
respect for international law. We have seen what the brave men
and women of Ukraine's Armed Forces are capable of, and the UK
will continue to provide them with the tools they need to defend
their sovereignty and protect their people. We call on Russia to
accept the unconditional ceasefire, return to the negotiating
table in good faith, and end this illegal war. Thank you, Madame
Chair."
