Mister Chairperson,

As the delegation of Ukraine stated last meeting, this summer could be decisive for our peace efforts and for bringing the war launched by Russia to a just end.

We are grateful to all our partners – the US, EU, all our friends from Ottawa to London, to Tokyo, to Canberra - for their unwavering support and tireless efforts to help Ukraine defend its right cause.

We appreciate Türkiye’s mediating role in our pursuit of a just and lasting peace.

That said, on 2nd of June the delegation of Ukraine came to Istanbul ready to take all the necessary steps for peace.

The key point of our proposal remains an unconditional ceasefire for at least 30 days. This must apply to the air, land and sea.

This has been our principle and the position of our partners for many months.

As we all know, this initiative was proposed by the US in Jidda on 11 of March and was fully supported by Ukraine. Not by Russia.

Secondly, the Russian delegation was also provided with a list of abducted Ukrainian children. We hope these children will be back home soon.

Thirdly, Ukraine has also proposed a meeting at the leadership level by the end of June.

Moreover, Ukraine’s position was submitted to the Russians in advance.

In contrast, the Russian “memorandum” was only presented during the meeting itself. Unfortunately, this prevented the meeting from delivering any tangible results.

The only actual progress is the release of our defenders from Russia’s captivity.

As Minister Sybiha stated, “we welcome the progress in this area, but there could be much more tangible results in all areas if the Russians reciprocated Ukraine’s constructiveness”.

Regrettably, Russia continues to reject the very idea of stopping the killing.

As President Zelenskyy said, I quote: “the Russians are ready for a 2–3-day ceasefire just to collect their killed soldiers from the battlefield […] However, the whole point of a ceasefire is to stop people from becoming killed at all”.

Russia has again failed to make its proposal more realistic or flexible.

It is the same set of the old ultimatums and unrealistic demands.

This indicates that Russia remains focused on Ukraine’s surrender and its destruction.

Dmitriy Medviediev, Putin’s confident and Deputy head of the Russian Security Council, was even more outspoken about the true meaning of the Russian memo.

I quote: “The negotiations in Istanbul are not needed for a compromise peace on unrealistic conditions invented by someone, but for our speedy victory and the complete destruction of the neo-Nazi government. This is the meaning of the Russian Memorandum, which was published yesterday”. End of quote.

After this, is it necessary to elaborate further on why Russia's approach is unacceptable?

Just days before Istanbul meeting, on 30 May the Russian delegation to the UN Security Council stated that Moscow was prepared to “continue and step up military activities for as long as necessary”.

That said, Russia continues its aerial terror unabated.

On 27 May, Russia dropped a FAB-500 bomb on Kupiansk damaging about 50 homes.

On the night of 31 May, 107 drones, two jet-powered attack drones, two S-300 anti-aircraft missiles, and three Kh-59/69 guided missiles were launched.

On the night of 1 June, a day before the talks, Russia attacked Ukraine with 472 Shahed drones, three ballistic missiles, and four cruise missiles.

And just a few hours before the meeting, on the night of 2 June, Russia bombed Ukraine with 80 drones, three ballistic missiles, and one cruise missile.

The very next day after Istanbul, Russia deliberately attacked the city of Sumy with the MLRS. Ordinary streets and residential buildings were hit.

At least three people were killed and 16 others were wounded.

Russia has also increased terror against the first responders.

Just in one week, from 26 May to 2 June, rescuers from the Zaporizhzhia, Donetsk, Dnipropetrovsk, Sumy and Kharkiv regions were attacked around a dozen times.

Over the last six months, a time of most intense peace discussions, Russia has used nearly 27,700 aerial bombs, almost 11,200 Shahed drones, around 9,000 other types of attack UAVs, and more than 700 missiles, including ballistic ones, against Ukraine.

Would a state, which is truly committed to peace, act like that?

And as I can see from today’s agenda, Russia intents to reinforce its traditional false narrative about Ukraine. We will, most likely, hear about the Russian language, the Russian church, and human rights violations.

But let me remind that just in March 2024, the Russian Orthodox Church Moscow Patriarchate called the aggression against Ukraine a “holy war” that should “conclude with Russia seizing exclusive influence over the entire territory of modern Ukraine and the exclusion of any Ukrainian government”. What we expect to hear from a true church is calls for peace, not war. So, would any government, responsible to its citizens, allow such an organization to operate on its own territory? Or if Russia cares so much about the believers, why did Moscow bomb Ukraine so fiercely during the Holy Week, a time that requires particular restraint? What about the persecution of other denominations in occupied territories?

And since Russia is going to speak later about “repressive practices”, I would like to quote from the UN GA resolution, expressing concern “that applicable international human rights obligations and treaties, to which Ukraine is a party, are not upheld by the occupying Power [Russia], thus severely restricting the ability of residents of the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine to exercise their human rights and fundamental freedoms”. After all, Russia must stop instrumentalizing human rights issues to justify its aggression and to return these territories under Ukraine’s control.

Esteemed colleagues,

On the occasion of the International Day of Innocent Children Victims of Aggression, I would like to thank the Group of Friends of Children in Conflict for organizing such an important and timely event yesterday. The impact of the Russian war on children is indeed immense.

For over a decade, Russia has killed at least 872 children. Thousands more have been deported to Russia. More than a million children remain under occupation.

Yesterday President Zelenskyy shared some stories of children whose lives were claimed by Russia. I would like to recall some of them.

6-year-old Borys was killed by a Russian missile, Sumy region, May 2025.

12-year-old Marharyta was killed by a Russian drone while sleeping in her home, Dnipro region, April 2025.

17-year-old Oleh killed by a missile on his way to church, Sumy, April 2025.

3-year-old Tymofii killed by a Russian missile while walking home from a playground. Kryvyi Rih, April, 2025.

5-year-old Nikol killed in Russian nighttime drone attack, Kyiv, March 2025.

1,5-year-old Adam killed by a Russian glide bomb after the family had just returned home from a walk, Zaporizhzhia, November 2024.

15-year-old Borys killed by a bomb in his bedroom, Kharkiv, October 2024.

7-year-old Emiliia killed along with her sisters in a Russian attack, Lviv, September 2024.

4-year-old Zlata killed by a missile while riding a bike near her house, Odesa, April 2024.

4-month-old Tymofii killed by a missile while sleeping in his mother’s arms, Odesa, March 2024.

14-year-old Yuliia and Anna killed by a Russian missile while dining at a pizzeria, Kramatorsk, June 2023.

2-year-old Liza killed by a Russian missile while getting ready for dinner with her mom in the kitchen, Dnipro region, June 2023.

Serhii, a newborn, killed by a Russian missile in a maternity ward, Zaporizhzhia region, November 2022.

4-year-old Liza killed by a Russian missile on her way from a doctor’s visit, Vinnytsia, July 2022.

3-month-old Kira killed by a Russian missile at her home, Odesa, April 2022.

10-year-old Alisa killed by a Russian missile at a train station during the evacuation, Kramatorsk, April 2022.

Even this night Russia killed a 1-year-old child in Pryluky, the Chernihiv region.

Different stories, different locations, but the same reason – Russia’s choice to start the aggression in 2014 and its unwillingness to end this war today. This must end.

Many of them were cowardly killed by Russian missiles launched from strategic bombers from far beyond the frontline.

While these attacks continue, Ukraine is obliged to exercise its right to self-defense in order to protect the lives of the most vulnerable people, including children.

One such measure was the defensive operation conducted by Ukraine on 1 June. As a result, planes such as the A-50, Tu-95, Tu-22M3 and Tu-160 were targeted.

According to the available information, Russia was preparing yet another massive strike on Ukraine. Some of the planes were already equipped with cruise missiles, as the video footage reveals.

These children’s tragedies also remind us why it is our obligation to take all necessary measure to end this war as soon as possible.

And if Russia continues to reject a full ceasefire and to imitate diplomacy, additional pressures, including sanctions, must be applied to Russia.

In conclusion, let me reiterate. We want peace. More than anyone else. But not at any cost. Not at the expense of Ukraine’s sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity.

Ukraine is ready for a dialogue with Russia. But not on the aggressor’s terms. But based on the principles of the international law, including the Helsinki Final Act.

As I said yesterday at the side event, the fate of children living in the occupation is a stark reminder of why defending of our principles matters.

Because compromising with the aggressor is not about territory, but about human lives. We cannot let these children down even more.

I thank you, Mr. Chairperson.