Mister Chairperson,

Rather than agreeing to a full ceasefire, Russia has intensified its aerial terror.

Russia is steadily increasing the intensity of the attacks.

Almost every night, hundreds of drones and missiles rained down on Ukraine.

This is clearly an escalation of violence.

Russia is not even trying to hide its intentions.

Moscow’s aim is to terrorize Ukrainians into submission.

People are being injured and killed on a massive scale.

The energy infrastructure remains one of Russia’s primary targets.

Residential buildings are routinely destroyed.

Over the past week, there were strikes throughout Ukraine—in the Donetsk, Dnipro, Ternopil, Odesa, Kyiv, Lutsk, Lviv, Ternopil, Chernihiv, Kherson, Sumy, Kremenchuk, and other regions.

Kharkiv has been subject to Russia’s several massive attacks, including with the use of glide aerial bombs, which are known for its indiscriminate nature designed to inflict as maximum damage as possible.

Just yesterday, at least, three people were killed and more than 60, among them nine children, were wounded in the city.

In Odesa, a maternity ward was damaged, a stark reminder about Russia’s similar crimes in the past.

In Pryluky, Chernihiv region, a first responder lost his wife, daughter and one-year-old grandson when his house was hit by a Russian drone while he was on duty helping others.

In Kyiv, three rescuers were killed in Russia’s double-tap strike.

In Kherson, a regional administration building was destroyed.

In Lutsk a hotel where Ukrainian athletes were staying was damaged. So, when can we expect Russia to raise the issue again that sport is beyond politics?

In Kyiv, the unique 11th century St. Sophia Cathedral, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, was damaged in the Russian attack.

This Cathedral stands as a symbol that Moscow did not exist when Kyiv was already flourishing culturally and politically, despite the Kremlin’s attempts to expropriate Ukraine’s past.

Moreover, the Cathedral was built by the Grand Duke of Kyiv Yaroslav in honor of the victory of Rus over the enemy. Today Kyiv, like a thousand years ago, is subject to enemy attacks. Today, like many times in history, Russian terror and aggression will be defeated.

As Minister Sybiha said, “The difference between Ukraine and Russia is that Ukraine hits legitimate military targets – such as aircraft equipped to bomb our children. Russia targets residential areas, civilians, and critical infrastructure”.

For this terror, Russia is actively using North Korea’s ballistic missile.

Furthermore, evidence suggests that Russia has transferred drone technologies to North Korea.

A recent report issued by the Multilateral Sanctions Monitoring Team is even more revealing about DPRK-Russia military cooperation including arms transfers and Russia’s training of DPRK troops.

The report concludes, this “unlawful cooperation contributed to Moscow’s ability to increase its missile attacks against Ukrainian cities including targeted strikes against critical civilian infrastructure. It also provided the resources to allow North Korea to fund its military programs and further develop its ballistic missiles programs, which are themselves prohibited under multiple UN Security Council’s resolutions, and gain first-hand experience in modern warfare”.

To put it bluntly, North Korea is improving the accuracy and performance of its ballistic missiles by helping Russia to kill the Ukrainians.

The report also states that “Russia and DPRK have actively engaged in financial transactions using ruble accounts”.

Specifically, Russia “is facilitating North Korea’s evasion of UN sanctions and Financial Action Task Force (FATF) requirements”, including with the use of a bank set up in Georgia’s temporarily occupied territories.

This is yet another reason why Russian troops must be withdrawn from neighbouring countries.

However, this also illustrates how Russia enables pariah states to enter the global financial system.

This is why Ukraine's demand to include Russia on the FATF's “black list” is timely and well justified.

This would be a meaningful contribution to FATF's efforts to combat money laundering, the financing of terrorism and the WMD proliferation.

Excellencies,

Moscow’s cooperation with the authoritarian, revanchist and pariah states, such as North Korea, speaks volumes why Russia’s aggression must not be rewarded.

Such cooperation threatens not only Ukraine but international peace.

It also significantly undermines the non-proliferation architecture making our world less secure.

Moreover, we have already debated in the Permanent Council on numerous occasions about the interlinkage between security of Europe and the Indo-Pacific region.

This interlinkage was also strongly emphasized by OSCE partners.

It highlights that the way Russia’s war ends will have global implications.

That’s why this war must end in a manner that only reinforces the principles of international law and the Helsinki Final Act.

I would like to reiterate that Ukraine will continue to work constructively with its American partners, with Europe, with G7 under Canada’s leadership, with Turkiye, that kindly offered its good offices, to achieve a just and lasting peace grounded in the principles and norms of international law, in particular the principles of sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity.

Most importantly, we must protect human life by ensuring accountability and ending Russia’s impunity.

With this in mind, Ukraine’s Negotiations Framework, presented to the Russians in Istanbul, provides a clear sequence of steps toward a just peace.

A full unconditional ceasefire is the first one. It would create a real impetus for diplomacy, not for ultimatums.

This step must be supported by the confidence-building measures on humanitarian track.

In this regard, we welcome the start of the exchange of POWs.

We expect the agreements reached in Istanbul to be implemented in good faith. Our goal is to exchange the POW “all for all”. In this regard, we emphasize, disinformation campaigns and manipulations must stop. The families of POWs have already suffered enough.

The same applies to Ukraine’s request for the return of the deported children.

Civilian hostages, including the three OSCE officials, and deported children must not be used as bargaining chips and must be released as soon as possible.

Last but not least, the Ukraine-Russia summit itself could produce the breakthrough needed to end Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine.

However, the Kremlin has not yet responded to the suggested framework.

Instead, we are seeing old ultimatums, intensified terror, and new killings of civilians.

There has never been any illusion about Russia’s commitment to peace. Russia’s tactic is simple: to imitate the process in order to delay the introduction of measures that could truly end this war.

Russia has missed too many chances to demonstrate its good will. Too many lives have already been claimed by Russia since the peace efforts began to give it another chance. It is time to act.

As President Zelenskyy said, “it is very important for the world to understand: just as pressure forced Russia into the negotiation process, pressure can force Russia to become realistic during them. This is possible precisely because of the pressure, and above all, sanctions on Russian oil and those who still trade with Russia. Russia must end this war that it started”.

That’s why our response to Russia’s terror and crimes must be tough sanctions increasing the cost of war for the aggressor, and new decisions strengthening Ukraine’s defense.

I thank you, Mr. Chairperson.