Madam Chairperson,  

The Ukrainian Delegation aligns itself with the statement delivered by the European Union and would like to make short remarks in our national capacity.

We are grateful to the UK delegation for raising such an important issue.

By its daily actions, russia proves to be the gravest threat to European security, national security of participating States and a fundamental risk to the OSCE area.  

Apart from the physical violation of sovereign borders, russia actively uses hybrid tools to undermine our solidarity and unity in defending these principles and commitments. Infiltration, espionage and subversive operations have become its trademark.

Further, moscow remains focused on undermining public trust in democracy, including through election meddling, cyberattacks and attempts to plant seeds of intolerance through an army of its bots in social networks.

Moscow is interested in freedom of speech and media as long as this helps to spread disinformation, conspiracy theories, and manipulate public opinions.  

Russia is persistently developing grey schemes to smuggle vital elements for its war machine that demands a particular attention to its financial operations.  

Such russia’s actions are completely inconsistent with the principles and commitments guiding the state’s participation in the OSCE.

It raises a number of legitimate questions. What a cover is used by russia for these malign activities? Is any consensus possible within the OSCE with a country that pursues aggressive policy? How credible is thesis that European security is not possible without russia?

Or rather should we focus on building European security architecture proceeding from the fact that russia will remain a threat in the foreseeable future and the necessity to isolate such a threat?

It is time to accept that there would be no good russia in the near future, as long as it remains focused on war against its neighbours. Neither for business contacts and political visits nor for cooperation within international organizations, including the OSCE. We need a long-term solution to the russian crisis.

The OSCE and its Institutions are well-mandated to contribute to elaborating a common vision of how to deal with that.       

I thank you, Madam Chairperson.