Madam Chairperson,

Ukraine wishes to take the floor following the adoption of the decision on the designation of members to serve on the Board of Governors. Guided by our firm commitment to the Statute of the Agency and to its long-standing institutional practices, Ukraine did not block the consensus on this decision. However, with a profound sense of responsibility to the international community and future generations, Ukraine must formally register its disassociation from this decision.

Madam Chairperson,

We cannot remain silent when the fundamental values upon which this Agency was built are being so blatantly disregarded. The continued presence of the Russian Federation — a state that has launched and sustained a war of aggression against Ukraine for more than three years — on the Board of Governors is not a mere procedural matter. It is a direct challenge to the credibility, integrity and moral authority of the IAEA.

As US President John F. Kennedy once warned during the Cuban Missile Crisis: “The 1930s taught us a clear lesson: aggressive conduct, if allowed to go unchecked and unchallenged, ultimately leads to war …”.

That warning has lost none of its relevance. Today, the world is once again confronted with the grave consequences of unrestrained aggression—this time, from a nuclear-armed state in the heart of Europe.

Since the outset of its full-scale invasion, Russia has consistently eroded the very foundations of the global nuclear order. It forcibly seized civilian nuclear facilities, including the Chornobyl and Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plants—facilities that, under any circumstances, must remain outside the bounds of conflict. The occupation and militarization of these sites pose unprecedented risks for nuclear safety and security far beyond Ukraine’s borders.

Of acute concern is the Russian Federation’s obstruction of the IAEA Support and Assistance Mission to the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant. In December 2024, Russia attacked a vehicle carrying the IAEA mission en route to the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant for a scheduled rotation. Since then, Russia has routinely denied security guarantees for scheduled rotations and issued threats toward Agency staff should they attempt access via territory controlled by the Government of Ukraine. These actions have created an atmosphere of fear and intimidation and represent a serious and unacceptable precedent in the history of the Agency.

Such treatment of international civil servants, mandated by the United Nations to prevent a nuclear disaster, is unprecedented and in clear violation of the principles of international law, IAEA resolutions, and the norms of nuclear safety and security.

Russia’s conduct also includes repeated threats of nuclear weapon use, withdrawal from key international arms control instruments, and persistent noncompliance with its safety, security, and safeguards obligations. These actions amount to a deliberate effort to use nuclear risk as a tool of coercion and geopolitical blackmail.

This is not only Ukraine’s challenge. It is a test of the resilience, integrity, and unity of international institutions. Allowing Russia to retain its seat on the Board sends the wrong message: that violations of international law and nuclear norms can go unpunished, and that aggression can be rewarded with continued institutional legitimacy.

Ukraine urges all Member States to reflect on the implications of this moment. While Ukraine today bears the brunt of this aggression, tomorrow it may be others. Our collective credibility depends on our willingness to uphold the values of the IAEA without compromise.

As Nelson Mandela wisely said: “May your choices reflect your hopes, not your fears.” Let us choose hope — hope for a safer, rules-based international order. It is our collective responsibility to ensure that the Agency’s decisions are guided by principle, justice and courage. Only then can we truly safeguard the future of international nuclear governance for all humankind.

Ukraine remains committed to constructive engagement with the IAEA and its vital mission. But we cannot, and will not, associate ourselves with a decision that serves to legitimize an aggressor state’s continued presence on this Board.

Thank you, Madam Chairperson.