Ambassador Holland condemns Russia's latest missile and drone
barrage, including its use of an intermediate range ballistic
missile near NATO territory. Russia is attempting to use false
narratives to justify its escalatory attacks and avoid engaging
meaningfully in peace negotiations.
"Thank you, Mr Chair.
At the final meeting of the Permanent Council before recess, I
expressed a hope that our next meeting would not take place
against the backdrop of Russia's war of aggression in
Ukraine. Regrettably, not only is Russia's war continuing
unabated today, but we meet in this extraordinary format
following a particularly reckless attack.
On the night of 8 January, Russia launched a barrage of missiles
and drones at Ukraine. Once again, this attack killed and
injured innocent civilians, it resulted in damage to a diplomatic
premises, this time belonging to Qatar, and the attack on energy
infrastructure left hundreds of thousands without power and
heating in the depths of winter.
Russia's systematic and cynical tactic of seeking to deprive
Ukrainians of warmth and basic necessities at a time of year when
temperatures are plummeting to minus 20 and below is deserving of
international condemnation. It is barbaric. And we must
never allow any participating state to normalise the
weaponisation of winter in this way.
But what was different last Thursday night was the use of an
intermediate-range ballistic missile, which Russia calls
Oreshnik. Russia first deployed this missile against Dnipro
in November 2024. This time it struck a site in the region
of Lviv, just 50 miles from NATO's border.
We condemn these irresponsible attacks. It is yet another
attempt by President Putin to terrorise the people of Ukraine and
to undermine our shared security. Russia has attempted to
justify this escalatory action by claiming it was in response to
an attack on one of President Putin's residences. The problem is:
there was no such attack. This claim was yet another
example of Russia seeking to create and manipulate narratives to
avoid engaging meaningfully with peace initiatives. Russia
not only started this war. It is also doing everything in its
power to disrupt efforts to end it.
In contrast, the US, Ukraine and its partners have continued to
work hard to secure a just and lasting peace. These efforts
have reached their most promising stage, which is what Russia
fears. Even Russian doublespeak struggles to bridge the
chasm between President Putin's professed desire for peace and
his actions.
President Putin believes he can break the will of the Ukrainian
people. He is wrong. The resilience and determination
Ukrainians have shown over the nearly four years since Russia
launched its full-scale invasion, remain undimmed.
If Russia's escalatory actions are also designed to deter
partners from supporting Ukraine – then they shall also
fail. Alongside our partners, we will continue to ensure
that Ukraine gets the military and financial support it needs to
defend itself, whilst we also ramp up the pressure on Russia to
engage in meaningful negotiations. UK support for a just
and lasting peace in Ukraine remains iron-clad.
Thank you."
