As delivered by the Ukrainian Delegation, to the 1480th meeting of the Permanent Council on 04 July 2024
Madam Chairperson,
Russia’s lie is getting more contrasting over time.
For months, the russian diplomats tried to cover the preparation for the full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
They claimed warnings as being “disinformation and fake stories”, “propaganda hype”, “yet another anti-russian show”, “idle talk”. Later, this lie resulted in the biggest land war in Europe since the Second World War.
There was a time, when the russian diplomats were laughing about the use of S-300 missiles to attack Ukraine’s civilian and critical infrastructure.
They claimed that such systems could not attack technically ground targets.
They did so, despite facts posted by their Ministry of Defence on its web page.
And today it’s become common knowledge that Kharkiv and other frontline cities are being ruined mainly with S-300 systems. Yet another high price of the russian lie.
The same goes about the Bucha massacre. The russian diplomacy simply labels it as propaganda.
This denial aims to justify russia’s right to kill with no impunity. Every day this impunity results in new tragedies. Just very few examples.
Over the weekend, in Vilniansk, Zaporizhia region, the russian missile killed seven people, including three kids, and 23 more injured.
In Dnipro, an apartment building was attacked. At least two were killed and a dozen wounded, among them a pregnant woman and a 7-month-old baby.
And yesterday, a new attack on Dnipro claimed five lives and left 34 injured.
Would the russian delegation call these crimes again as staged propaganda?
Most recently the russian delegation is trying to diminish the crime of the deportation of children.
For a few meetings in a row, we heard about a list consisting of only 29 deported children.
While the exact number of forcibly transferred or deported children remains unknown, data about 20 thousand of the broken lives is called “just empty propaganda”. As usually.
Also, even though Ukraine’s ombudsperson repeatedly refuted any direct talks with the russian side on this issue, the russian diplomats continue to speculate about that.
It is not surprising, russia wants to provoke suspicion and mistrust.
While russia is denying its crimes against children, it is telling that the UN Secretary-General decided for the second year in a row to keep the russian armed forces on the list of grave violators for the killing and maiming of children.
This UN report also provides an account of reasons why the verification process of deported cases is so complicated. Among these factors are:
Moreover, the russian diplomats hit a new moral low by inviting a so-called expert, accused of committing crimes against minors, to speak at their Monday’s side event aimed at justifying the war of aggression against Ukraine.
The very war which has exposed children to the deportation, and other crimes, as detailed by the OSCE Moscow Mechanism report last year.
Criminals attract each other.
Such a practice is unacceptable and must never be allowed by the OSCE any more.
Excellencies,
Lies, deception and threats have become russia’s key tools in the war against the Free World.
Russia’s consistent lies try to divert us from rebuilding a credible European security architecture.
Russia’s false narratives aim to undermine our belief in the strength of shared principles and values.
Russia’s empty promises are pronounced only to get a respite for replenishing resources and then unleashing an even more deadly offensive.
And there is only one thing russia never lies about. It is about the grab of lands.
Just a day before the Peace Summit, the russian dictator demanded that Ukraine withdraw from its sovereign territory.
There could not be more blunt evidence of what this colonial war is about.
Putin just wants Ukrainian land and the license to kill Ukrainians. This has nothing to do with peace.
This is why today it is more than clear that the road to a real peace lies through respect for international law and territorial integrity.
And the first Peace Summit has demonstrated – this is the position of the majority.
Therefore, we are grateful to the Chairpersonship of Malta for representing the OSCE at the Summit as well as to all participating states who joined the Summit. This speaks volumes about a true commitment to defending the OSCE principles.
And we express our special gratitude to Switzerland for making this Summit happen.
Together we have proved that the world stands equally committed to defending the UN Charter and Helsinki Final Act principles on the path to restoring Ukraine’s territorial integrity within its internationally recognized borders.
As President Zelenskyy stated, new steps are needed and Ukraine is preparing the work of groups that will develop specific action plans in line with the Peace Formula’s points in the run-up to the second Summit.
At the same time to achieve a just, sustainable and lasting peace, proper conditions must be set for that.
Long-range weapons, a sufficient number of fighter jets, additional air defense systems, stable supply of artillery ammunition for Ukraine – are among the crucial factors.
The third year of the war also demonstrates that russia does not care about human losses. What really matters for Moscow is technical means – tanks, bombers, warships.
As long as it has these means, the kremlin will send human waves to attack us.
To stop this, Ukraine has finally to be given the ability to destroy russian terror tools.
The sooner Ukraine can justifiably strike at russian military infrastructure, especially military airfields, the closer we will be to peace.
At the same time, russia faces the resource dilemma, as recent visits of vladimir putin have disclosed.
New sanctions would help to further overstretch the russian resources, thus, bringing us closer to the end of the war.
Also, a just peace in Europe should also include securing Ukraine’s effective European and Euro-Atlantic integration.
In view of this, the historical meaning of the start of the EU accession talks can hardly be overestimated.
We are highly grateful to each and every EU Member State for this decision.
Among other things, this dispels one of russia’s key false narratives – that nobody expects Ukraine in the EU. The reality has proved the opposite.
And last but not least, the presence of russia’s troops on our territory would constitute an existential threat to the Ukrainian statehood and a constant risk of russia’s revanchism.
At the same time, forcing russia to withdraw its army would mean nothing else but the restoration of the principle of inviolability of border, resumption of human rights and protection of the rules-based order.
While Moscow is threatening with an unpredictable escalation in case of Ukraine’s victory, one has to remember that russia’s withdrawal from the Kharkiv region and Kherson led neither to escalation nor to russia’s collapse.
As Minister Kuleba stated at the ASRC, “peace is real and possible, but not at the cost of Ukraine’s freedom, independence, and sovereignty over its internationally recognized borders […] It’s our historical role to deal with and solve the Russian crisis for the sake of future generations. For the sake of a secure and prosperous European continent”
I thank you, Madam Chairperson.