9 July 2025
Mr. President,
We would like to thank Special Envoy of the Secretary-General for Yemen Hans Grundberg, and Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs Tom Fletcher, for their informative briefings. We’ve also closely listened to the representative of civil society Ms. Summer Nasser.
The situation in Yemen remains disquieting. Domestic political and socio-economic instability continues amid a significant risk that active hostilities may resume. The number of armed clashes along the “front line” has increased, and any such incident is liable to escalate into uncontrolled combat action. The country is facing shortages of food, medicine, and fuel. There are power outages, and growing inflation is driving prices up. All this exacerbates the everyday hardships of ordinary people. The number of those in need of humanitarian assistance has reached a critically high level – about 20 million people. Another problem that persists is the lack of funding for the UN humanitarian plan for Yemen, with the Organization’s resources (already paltry) in the country rapidly dwindling. The issue of UN and humanitarian stuff detained by Ansar Allah remains also unresolved.
However, it is the lack of progress on the political track that remains the main reason for both the worsening situation on the ground and disrupted humanitarian efforts. We still see no alternative to resuming a sustainable negotiation process on the road map for the settlement of the Yemeni conflict, and the provisions whereof should be embedded in binding agreements between the parties to the conflict. What is crucial here is to work on creating conditions for a full-fledged inclusive dialogue with the participation of all Yemeni protagonists, including Ansar Allah. We do support the mediation efforts by Special Envoy Grundberg. It would be well-advised not to lower the level of attention to both organizing negotiations between the parties and encouraging “small steps” aimed at strengthening interaction between them on practical issues. This is the only path to sustainable peace. Further stagnation in the settlement process could result in large-scale destabilization and deterioration of the situation throughout the region.
Mr. President,
Yemen’s internal problems are compounded by complications in the adjacent waters. After several months of relative calm, we are unfortunately witnessing resumed attacks on commercial vessels in the Red Sea. We strongly condemn the recent incidents, which resulted in the loss of life. We express our condolences to their families and wish a speedy recovery to those injured. Russia does not accept any actions that may jeopardize the safety of crews and cargo or undermine the freedom of international navigation. We strongly urge all parties to refrain from such actions and restore calm in the waters of Yemen.
No less alarming is the ongoing confrontation between Israel and Ansar Allah. There are more frequent strikes targeting the territory of the Jewish state, including its civilian objects, as well as disproportionate large-scale attacks by West Jerusalem targeting the territory of sovereign Yemen. For example, in the early hours of July 7, Israel once again launched massive missile and bomb strikes on Hodeidah province, through which most of the vital supplies enter the country. Civilian infrastructure was struck, including the ports of Hodeidah, Salif and Ras Isa, as well as the Ras Kanatib power plant. The Galaxy Leader ship was severely damaged. The shrapnel from the strike hit the Sia tanker, which was in Ras Isa and had Russian sailors on board. We do not support the Houthi strikes against Israel, but we would like to stress that such disproportionate actions by West Jerusalem are unacceptable and could lead to the most serious consequences. This vicious cycle of violence must be broken.
Mr. President,
Nor can we ignore the obvious link between what is being done by Ansar Allah and Israel’s ongoing military operation in the Gaza Strip. It is precisely the actions by West Jerusalem resulting in a sharply increased number of civilian casualties among the Palestinians that have served as a catalyst for the conflict to escalate and spill over throughout the entire Middle East. Understandably, the continued suffering of the Palestinian civilians has triggered a reaction on the part of the Arab street and a number of regional players, including the Houthi movement. The only viable formula for stopping this spiral of violence is and has always been, of course, an immediate and unconditional ceasefire in Gaza, as well as the restoration of unimpeded humanitarian access for the UN entities to the entire territory of the enclave, as per numerous resolutions passed by the UN Security Council and the General Assembly. Only in this case can we expect the normalization of the situation in the region, including in Yemen and the surrounding waters.
Mr. President,
Against this backdrop, keeping the UN presence in Yemen is something that becomes particularly important. This is a task that is being successfully carried out, among others, by the UN Mission in Hodeidah (UNMHA). For many years, the Mission has served as a stabilizing factor on the ground, helping de-escalate the situation surrounding the ports on the Red Sea and ensuring that these ports remain civilian in nature. UNMHA continues to oversee the compliance with the Stockholm agreements and facilitate interaction between the parties through the UN Redeployment Coordination Committee. Most importantly, the work done by the UN allows for at least some interaction with the warring parties, which is crucial, at a minimum, for securing unimpeded humanitarian access. Given all this, extending the Mission’s mandate at this stage is a necessary step that offers hope for preventing the inevitable deterioration of the situation.
Thank you.