29 May 2025
Thank you, Mr President,
The UN Charter emphasizes respect for the independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity of member states.
We have all pledged to uphold the principles of the Charter, but Russia has blatantly violated this commitment with its brutal, full-scale invasion of Ukraine, for which it must be held fully accountable.
Multiple resolutions of the General Assembly have demanded that Russia withdraw its forces from Ukraine, confirming that Russia is the aggressor and Ukraine the victim.
Ukraine has the right, under Article 51 of the UN Charter, to defend itself in the face of Russia’s illegal, unjustified and unprovoked full-scale invasion launched over three years ago. It also has the right to acquire weapons to defend itself.
Instead of discussing Ukraine’s entirely legitimate effort to acquire arms for the defence of its territorial integrity and sovereignty, the Council should focus on the credible reports notably from the Multilateral Sanctions Monitoring Team.
Such reports say Russia has imported 4 million artillery shells and over 100 ballistic missiles from North Korea, a clear violation of the UN sanctions regime Russia itself agreed to. Or the reported 12,000 North Korean troops fighting against Ukraine in Russia’s illegal war of aggression.
Russia has also reportedly received huge quantities of drones from Iran, as well as related components and knowhow, which are used to attack civilians across Ukraine, in violation of international humanitarian law.
Mr President,
These are the international arms transfers that must stop.
Night after night, we see waves of drones and missiles raining down on Ukraine’s cities.
Thousands of Ukrainian civilians, including hundreds of children, have been indiscriminately killed in the war, and many more injured.
Russia continues to escalate its attacks, twice in recent days breaking its own grisly record for the number of drones launched at Ukraine’s cities in a single day.
And just two days ago the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Ukraine concluded that Russian armed forces had committed crimes against humanity of murder through a months-long pattern of drone attacks against civilians in areas of the Kherson Province.
Mr President,
Denmark underlines that Ukraine has accepted an immediate, comprehensive and unconditional 30-day ceasefire. Russia in contrast, has not.
Russia could end the war today if it would only stop attacking Ukraine. We could have a ceasefire today if the Russian president wanted peace.
It is now high time for Russia to stop attacking Ukraine and engage seriously in peace talks that the U.S. is trying to broker. Russia must stop insisting on unserious conditions, which would in practice end the existence of an independent Ukraine.
I thank you.