Ambassador Holland commits to continuing to highlight and condemn
Russia's attacks against Ukraine for as long as Russia insists on
carrying them out. Doing so is necessary because of the obvious
humanitarian imperative but it is also a question of living up to
our promises to one another when we signed the Helsinki Final
Act.
"Thank you, Mr Chair.
Mr Chair, there have been 120 Permanent Councils and 46 Special
and Reinforced Permanent Councils since Russia launched its
illegal full scale war of aggression on Ukraine in February
2022. The UK has spoken on each of these occasions,
highlighting Russia's violation of the Helsinki principles and
the Final Act.
Next week we gather in Helsinki to mark 50 years of the signature
of the Final Act. This should have been a moment to reflect on
its positive and historic legacy; alongside the UN and Paris
Charters, it has set the standards by which we should treat each
other and our citizenry. Instead we are travelling to Finland
with drones still pummelling Ukrainian civilian targets
indiscriminately and an unapologetic Russia refusing to take the
outstretched hand of peace offered to them by the victim of their
aggression, Ukraine.
The UK deeply regrets that there is still no sign of a let up in
these attacks on civilians. One of the latest of these was an
attack on the entrance to a metro station providing shelter to
Ukrainian civilians escaping Russian bombardment. The Russian
State evidently want as many Ukrainian people to be terrorised as
possible. The UK will continue to highlight and condemn them for
as long as Russia insists on carrying them out. As well as an
obvious humanitarian imperative, doing so is also a question of
living up to our promises to one another when we signed the
Helsinki Final Act.
Thank you, Mr Chair."
