UK Chargé d'Affaires, Deputy Ambassador James Ford, condemns
Russia's intensification of attacks against civilians in Ukraine,
including its largest aerial assault of the war. This and
inflammatory comments that run counter to Russia's international
commitments are further evidence that Moscow is still not serious
about peace.
"Thank you, Madam Chair. It is now nearly four months since
Ukraine agreed to the US proposal for an immediate and
unconditional ceasefire. By contrast, Russia has not only refused
to accept the proposal but has continued to intensify its attacks
against Ukraine.
In fact, since direct talks began on 16 May, Russia has launched
its biggest aerial attacks of the war. It broke its
shameful records again at the start of this week, when it
launched more than 500 aerial weapons at Ukraine.
As well as being the most intense aerial attacks of the war,
these recent assaults have also been among the most deadly for
Ukraine's innocent civilians. The attack on the Dnipro
region on 24 June killed 20 civilians, left more than 270 others
wounded and damaged schools and hospitals. And the horrific
attack against Kyiv on 16-17 June, which destroyed a civilian
residential building, killed 30 civilians and left a further 172
people injured. This was the second deadliest attack on Kyiv
since the full-scale invasion began. So far in 2025, Russian
attacks have killed more than 1000 civilians in Ukraine.
These are not the actions of a government that is serious about
peace. They are the actions of those who believe they can
take advantage while the world is distracted by events
elsewhere. It is our collective responsibility here to
dispel this notion, to remind them that the world is watching and
to ensure that Moscow understands that there will be a cost for
frustrating peace and attacking innocent civilians.
Madam Chair, when it comes to peace, we have learnt to assess
Russia's actions rather than Russian rhetoric. But if we needed
further evidence that Moscow is not currently serious about
compromise or ending the war, we can look at the recent comments
made by the President of the Russian Federation, as our Ukrainian
colleague also highlighted.
On 18 June he said that, if Ukraine did not agree to Russia's
terms, “we will achieve our goals by military means.” On 20 June
he said that “the Russian and Ukrainian peoples are
essentially one people. In that sense, we see Ukraine
as ours.” He also described as a long-standing
principle that “wherever the foot of a Russian
soldier steps is Russian land.”
Clearly, such statements run directly counter to the Helsinki
commitments to which we have all agreed. And, alongside the
escalation in attacks against Ukrainian civilians, they underline
Moscow's lack of seriousness about peace talks.
Madam Chair, as the UK – along with the vast majority of
participating States here at the OSCE – we continue to call on
Russia to agree to a full, immediate and unconditional ceasefire
to create the space for negotiations on a framework for a just
and lasting peace. Regrettably, we see no evidence that Russia
will engage meaningfully without further pressure to do so. We
are therefore ready to act with partners to introduce new
sanctions if Moscow continues to ignore these widespread calls
for a ceasefire. Thank you."
