Mister Chairperson,  

I would like to thank the Maltese Chairpersonship and the Troika members for their strong statement issued on the 1000 days of Russia’s full-scale invasion.

We are also grateful to all the participating States for the solidarity expressed during these days. And we know that all your words are underpinned with concrete steps. Only together we will prevail. 

Dear colleagues,

What are 1000 days of Russia’s war about?

These days are about 11 500 missiles launched against Ukraine.

It is about nearly 33 000 guided aerial bombs dropped on a peaceful people.

It is about around 150 000 crimes committed against fundamental norms of international law, including the principles of the Helsinki Final Act.

It is about 13 500 lives, including almost 590 children, cut short by Russia.

It is about the nearly 11 million Ukrainians who have been forced to flee their homes, including 4.6 million internally displaced persons and over 6.7 million who have left Ukraine.

It is about the resilience of ordinary people who are doing extraordinary things to protect, among other things, the principles of the Helsinki Final Act.

And what is most important is that these ordinary people have shown us how to win. With resolve, decisiveness and integrity.

Colleagues, today we also mark the Day of Dignity and Freedom in Ukraine.

On this day, we pay tribute to the Heavenly Hundred, who gave Ukraine the chance to build a European, democratic and independent country. Thanks to their sacrifice, Russia’s attempt to force Ukraine into the submission back in 2013 failed.

But this day is also a stark reminder that our struggle for freedom, democracy and the right to choose our future, as guaranteed by the Helsinki Final Act, lasts more than 4000 days.  

Moreover, the murder of Reshat Ametov near Simferopol on 15 March 2014 and the creation of Isolation prison in Donetsk later in June marked the beginning of 10 years of terror, persecution, forced passportization, illegal conscription, cultural identity erasure, human rights violations and abuses, military indoctrination of children, arbitrary detentions, enforced disappearances, torture, and ill-treatment faced by the people in the temporarily occupied Crimea and parts of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions.

Later, the world will be appalled by the horrific crimes committed by the Russian army in Bucha, Yahidne, Irpin, Izyum, Mariupol and other cities, and the deliberate destruction of residential buildings, schools, hospitals and other civilian infrastructure, by the execution of Ukrainian prisoners of war and the use of the banned chemical substances on the battlefield as confirmed by the OPCW reports.

Do we need any more proof that impunity leads to new crimes, more dark crimes?

Furthermore, the fates of Serhiy Kokurin, the first Ukrainian soldier killed by Russia in Simferopol on 18 March 2014, and of Henadiy Bilichenko, killed near Sloviansk, the Donetsk region, on 13 of April 2014, as well as of other our defenders were already a wake-up call signaling about Moscow’s intention to change borders in Europe by force, to break the taboo on territorial expansion in Europe and to challenge the global security architecture, as evidenced today by its deepening cooperation with pariah states such as North Korea.  

And since 2014, under the guise of endless negotiation, Russia spent eight years turning the occupied territories of the Crimea, Donetsk and Luhansk regions into a bridgehead to launch the biggest land war in Europe since the Second World War.

Distinguished colleagues,

To restore peace and stability in Europe, we must start by understanding Russia's true intentions.  

Russia’s daily terror against civilians in Ukraine speaks volumes about them.

On the morning of 17 of November, the Russian Federation launched a massive combined attack on the Ukrainian energy system with 210 missiles and drones.

As President Zelenskyy said, Vladimir Putin, “this “dove of peace” sent us yet another barrage of “Kinzhal” and “Kalibr” missiles. That’s his diplomacy.”

In the attack, Russia used seven Tu-160 and 16 Tu-95MS strategic bombers, two Tu-22M3 long-range bombers, five Su-34 fighters, four Su-27s, 10 MiG-31Ks, and four ships equipped with cruise missiles.   

According to the IAEA Director General, Ukraine’s operating NPPs reduced electricity production as a protective measure following the attack that reportedly targeted Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, putting nuclear safety and security under further pressure. Several electrical substations on which the NPPs depend suffered further damage during the attack.

In addition, on the evening of November 17, the Russian Federation hit a nine-storey residential building in Sumy with a missile. The attack killed, at least, 11 people, including two children. Another 89 civilians, including 11 children, were injured.  

Moreover, on the morning of 18 November, the Russian ballistic missile attack on Odesa killed at least 11 people and injured 18 others.

And in the evening, Russia hit a residential building in Hlukhiv, the Sumy region. 12 people were killed, including one child. 11 others were injured.

Russia is relying more and more on terror to break the resistance of Ukraine.

So, whatever “peace ultimatums” we hear from Moscow, but Russia’s goals have remained unchanged for decades.

Moscow still denies Ukraine’s right to exist, declares Ukrainians and Russians to be one people and wants to turn Ukraine into a failed state.

Furthermore, the violation of Ukraine's neutrality in 2014, the expansion of the war since the attempts to freeze the occupation of Crimea, the failure of numerous ceasefires between 2014 and 2022, the escalation of violence and the growing number of civilian casualties today should be carefully considered before proposing new ideas for ending the war.

This shows that there can be no compromise on the principles of territorial integrity and sovereignty. Otherwise, it will only be an invitation for future attacks. Against Ukraine and elsewhere. 

All this also shows that to change the course of the war, we need a strong deterrent that forces Russia to recognize Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity, as well as the European and Euro-Atlantic aspirations of the Ukrainian people.

This will create the right conditions for the restoration of peace and stability in Europe.

In conclusion, as President Zelenskyy said today, I quote, “today, our neighbour has once again shown … how much they despise dignity, freedom, and human life itself […] So much, that they are already using new missiles. And they are searching the world for more weapons. First in Iran, then in North Korea. Today it was a new Russian missile. […] Obviously, Putin is terrified when normal life simply exists next to him. When people simply have dignity. When a country simply wants to be and has the right to be independent […] And I thank all Ukrainians, who are defending Ukraine against this evil – unwaveringly, bravely, firmly.” End of quote.

As I have already mentioned, these ordinary people have proved that to defend the principles we need resolve, decisiveness and integrity. Thanks to their sacrifice, what was supposed to be a three-day Russian military operation has become a thousand days of Ukrainian resistance. These people have also given us a chance to prove the power of freedom and democracy. The chance we cannot miss.

That said, I would like to thank all participation States once again for helping Ukraine to strengthen its defence, for providing aid to repair our energy system, for introducing sanctions to stop Russia’s production of means for killing.

Stepping up these efforts will bring us closer to a just peace.  

As suggested by Ukraine’s Peace Formula, which is the only comprehensive vision for ending the Russian war and restoring respect for the principles of the Helsinki Final Act.

I thank you, Mister Chairperson.