Mr Chairperson,

Allow me to begin by expressing gratitude to the Chairperson-in-Office, Ignazio Cassis, and Secretary General Feridun Sinirlioğlu for their visit to Ukraine earlier this week and for his contribution to ongoing diplomatic efforts aimed at ending Russia’s war of aggression and achieving a dignified and lasting peace.

This visit served not only as an important message of solidarity, but also as an opportunity to witness first-hand the consequences of Russia’s aggression against Ukraine. Regrettably, these consequences continued to worsen this very week, with new acts of terror. Let me recall just some, the most tragic cases of the recent week.

On 1 February 2026, a Russian drone struck a bus in the Dnipropetrovsk region. As a result, 15 people were killed and 17 wounded, including nine who were hospitalised in critical condition.

On the same day, Russian drones struck a maternity ward in Zaporizhzhia, injuring three women. During the night of 1-2 February, Russian forces also carried out a strike against the Cherkasy region, killing at least four people.

On 3 February, when temperatures in Ukraine dropped below –20°C, Russian forces launched a massive attack involving 450 drones and more than 60 missiles, including ballistic ones, primarily targeting energy facilities and residential areas. These attacks clearly demonstrate an attempt to freeze the civilian population by deliberately striking critical infrastructure during the winter months.

The strikes affected the Sumy and Kharkiv regions, the Kyiv region and the capital itself, as well as the Dnipro, Odesa, and Vinnytsia regions. As of now, nine people have been reported injured. Ordinary residential buildings and energy infrastructure were damaged, and in Kyiv drone strikes caused fires in high-rise buildings and damaged a kindergarten.

 

Excellencies,

In total, in the past month alone, Russia launched more than 6,000 UAVs, dropped around 5,500 guided bombs, and used 158 missiles of various types, including strategic ones, against Ukraine. Not to mention the thousands of rockets, shells, and mines fired daily at frontline and near-frontline areas.

These figures are not merely military statistics. They represent instruments of destruction deliberately used to target the civilian population and critical infrastructure almost every day. They are also a stark reminder that the aggressor regime has no intention of abandoning violence, regardless of how “peaceful” its official rhetoric may sound.

Only concrete actions on the ground can demonstrate a genuine interest in a peaceful resolution.

Regrettably, we do not observe such interest today. Every attempt at deescalation is met with renewed cynicism and mockery from Russian officials. Neither intensified peace efforts led by the United States, nor the meeting in Abu Dhabi or Putin’s personal assurances have stopped the strikes.

Why? There are only two possible explanations. Either the Kremlin does not control its own forces and its orders are simply ignored or from the very beginning, assurances by Russia’s senior officials have been tactical ploys to gain political points and to camouflage continued aggression.

From our perspective, the second explanation is obviously the only credible one. The Kremlin has built a system in which all inhumane and unlawful orders are executed without hesitation. Any attempt to question such orders is immediately suppressed and punished.

The only way to change this grim reality is to compel Russia to halt its aggression through continued support for Ukraine’s resilience and defence capabilities, combined with sustained political pressure on the aggressor state.

It is therefore crucial to impose new sanctions in response to Russia’s escalatory actions and to introduce additional restrictive measures against individuals responsible for violations of international law.

Equally important is preventing all attempts to circumvent sanctions, including through the use of third countries and foreign enablers of the war that supply Russia with technology, weapons, and dual-use goods. Moscow may repeatedly claim so-called self-sufficiency, but we know with certainty that lack of technology access is painful for its war economy and therefore effective.

As Minister for Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Andrii Sybiha recently stated: “Putin must be deprived of the illusion that he can achieve anything through bombing, terror, and aggression.”

Mr Chairperson,

Russia seeks to undermine morale by openly displaying its atrocities and spreading propaganda about the inevitability of its victory. Senior Russian officials openly speak of the annihilation of Ukrainian cities as punishment for refusing to surrender.

A particularly illustrative example is a recent statement by Russia’s parliamentary speaker, who declared that “members of the State Duma are insisting on the use of more powerful weapons, so-called retaliatory weapons, and on achieving the objectives of the so-called special military operation.”

Through such narratives, the Russian Federation seeks to sow fear. Missiles and UAVs are not the only tools of aggression. Intimidation, propaganda, and disinformation are also employed in an attempt to suppress the resilience of the Ukrainian people and undermine international unity. Yet the facts speak for themselves.

Recent public opinion polls in Ukraine clearly show that the overwhelming majority of the population demonstrates neither collapse nor a lack of resilience. Despite Russia’s daily efforts to make living conditions unbearable, Ukrainian society firmly rejects the very idea of surrender. Even interviews conducted in frontline regions, where local population with its own eyes see the horrors of this war, confirm that people remain steadfast in their resistance to Russian occupation.

Russia may deny this every day, but facts remain facts and nothing proves this more clearly than the Defence Forces of Ukraine, which continue to fight and inflict losses on the aggressor. We are grateful to all partners who support Ukraine in this struggle and count on the continuation of this support.

 

Thank you, Mr Chairperson.