February 24, 2025
Thank you, Mr. President. And I would like to thank the presidency for scheduling this meeting today.
Today, we stand on the precipice of history with a solemn task: creating conditions to end the bloodiest war on the European continent since the successive cataclysms that spurred the creation of this Council. In June of 1945, the nations of the world stood together, bloodied from two brutal wars, and made a decision.
On the day we signed the UN Charter, we cast aside despair and chose hope. We set aside hatred and chose reason. And most importantly, we turned away from the death march of war and charted a path to peace.
It is time for us to bring the UN, and specifically the Security Council, back to its original purpose, the maintenance of international peace and security, including the peaceful settlement of disputes. Let us now step up as Council members to chart a path forward so that the Security Council can do its job and end the horror.
Generations of Ukrainians and Russians have died. Husbands who will never return home to their wives; Children will never find the arms of their mothers; Parents, who will never again see their sons and daughters. The scale of the suffering is staggering.
The war has also brought the world closer to a nuclear confrontation, once again, raising the specter of fire, ash, and total destruction. Thus, it is our responsibility as UN Security Council members to help end the agony and pull ourselves back from the brink.
Continuing to Engage in rhetorical rivalries in New York may make diplomats feel vindicated, but it will not save souls on the battlefield. Let us prove to ourselves and to our citizens that we can come together and agree on the most basic principles. Let us show one another that the bold vision of peace that once pulled us out of hell can prevail.
Our draft resolution is elegant in its simplicity. A symbolic, simple first step toward peace. The three brief paragraphs echo the spirit of the UN Charter, and must, as in 1945, affirm that this war is awful, that the UN can help end it, and that peace is possible.
We hear our European colleagues when they say they want a durable peace, but not at any cost. Mr. President, to them, I would say, rest assured that we too seek this durable peace. And we would remind these colleagues that this resolution is not a peace deal, and it imposes no cost. Rather, this resolution represents the path to peace.
We urge all Security Council members to join the United States under the bold leadership of President Trump, in this effort to vanquish the scourge of this war. We urge all Council members to join us on this path to peace.
As a final note, the United States has called this meeting, which has already with U.S. assent been rescheduled once. I thank you Mr. President.
Explanation of Vote Following the Adoption of a UN Security Council Resolution on Ukraine
Thank you, Mr. President.
Mr. President and colleagues, the United States sincerely appreciates Council members’ support for this resolution, and applauds the action, the first this Council has taken in three years on Ukraine, to firmly call for an end to the conflict.
This resolution puts us on the path to peace. It is a first step, but a crucial one – one of which we should all be proud. Now we must use it to build a peaceful future for Ukraine, Russia, and the international community.
I thank you.