Mister Chairperson,

While the world leaders are making every effort to achieve a ceasefire and to end Russia’s war diplomatically, Russia is simply waiting (IN VAIN, I MUST ADMIT) for Ukraine to become defenseless.

On 3 of July, Vladimir Putin’s spokesperson said, I quote, “The fewer weapons are supplied to Ukraine, the sooner [war] ends”.

Just a few hours later, Putin ordered yet another massive attack on Ukraine.

That night, Ukraine was hit with 539 drones and 11 missiles of various types.

The Russian strike affected Kyiv and the region, as well as the Dnipro, Sumy, Kharkiv, and Chernihiv regions. Reportedly, 23 people were wounded.

Yesterday, Russia attacked Ukraine with 728 Shaheds, seven cruise missiles and six Kinzhal aeroballistics missiles. The city of Lutsk was the main target.

Damage was also reported in the Dnipro, Zhytomyr, Kyiv, Kirovohrad, Mykolaiv, Sumy, Kharkiv, Khmelnytskyi, Cherkasy and Chernihiv regions.

And this night Russia’s new barrage of 400 drones and 18 missiles, including ballistic ones, has claimed two lives in Kyiv and left, at least, 16 people wounded.

Could actions have better revealed Russia’s true intentions?

Russia’s response to offers of peace is more deaths and destruction.

In the course of the six months of 2025, Russia launched more than 30,000 glide aerial bombs, over 11,000 Shahed drones, and more than 1000 missiles, including ballistic ones.

Furthermore, last week the Russian diplomats made it clear that Russia would not agree to the full and comprehensive ceasefire offered by the US.

The ceasefire, which would finally stop the killing and destruction.

While Russian diplomats, including in the OSCE, are trying to downplay Russia’s threat to Europe, the Russian war minister is calling to reform military education in order to prepare Russia for future conflicts, also taking into account the lessons learnt from the aggression against Ukraine.

Moreover, the belligerent rhetoric of Russia’s foreign minister Lavrov on “denazification” as a condition for peace shows that Russia is focused on genocide.

However, by demanding “denazification” for Ukraine, in parallel, Russia is conducting “denazification” on its own territory.

Let me recall the UN report on the situation of human rights in the Russian Federation, which was issued last October.

I quote. “Indigenous Peoples, small-numbered Indigenous Peoples and national minorities have been disproportionately mobilized, some by force, to fight against Ukraine. As a result, some small-numbered groups may face extinction from war casualties […] Independent analysis shows wide ethnic disparities in fatalities, however, with minority groups approximately four times more likely to be killed in Ukraine than ethnic Russians”.

Not to mention that “Indigenous Peoples are one of the most impoverished demographic groups, with social and economic development and life expectancy far below the national average” according to the report.

Furthermore, the recent OSCE PA resolution adopted in Porto notes with deep concern “the near-complete destruction of the Kerek people, an indigenous people of the Russian Federation, as a stark example of the destruction of indigenous communities”.

So, we call on the HCNM to closely monitor – Russia’s attempts to instrumentalize the national minorities issue to justify its aggressive war, as well as the dire situation with national minorities in Russia itself.

This new genocide by Russia must be stopped.

Esteemed colleagues,

Russia is showing no interest in ending the war.

Rather, it is seizing every opportunity to step up its terror.

In our turn, pressure must be mounted on Russia’s regime.

First, every day shows, no appeals or attempt to engage Russia can stop it from attacking Ukraine again and again. Only by strengthening Ukraine’s defensive capabilities can we effectively protect human life and change Russia’s calculus.

Secondly, sanctions.

This week Ukraine has introduced restrictive measures against individuals and entities involved in circumventing international sanctions and financing the Russian military-industrial industry, including through cryptocurrency schemes.

The sanctions list includes the largest Russian cryptocurrency miners, financial intermediaries, and crypto exchanges that provide Russia with access to currency conversion and facilitate the circumvention of restrictions.

We call upon the participating States to support these efforts. Sanction pressure works.

Despite claims of the Russian diplomats that Russia is strengthening its sovereignty and economic power amidst its war against Ukraine, some pragmatic voices have started to express concerns about the Kremlin’s policy.

During the so-called St Petersburg economic forum Elvira Nabiullina, the head of the Russian Central Bank, warned that Russian “free resources including labour, industrial capacity, bank capital reserves, and liquid assets from the National Wealth Fund have truly been exhausted”.

At the same forum, Russian Economy Minister Maxim Reshetnikov said that “Russia's economy is now on the verge of a transition to recession”.

Recently, Andrei Kostin, the head of Russia's second-largest bank VTB, was also quite frank about the economic problems caused by high military spending.

Similarly, German Gref, the CEO of Russia's largest bank, Sberbank, is also pessimistic about the economic outlook.

Does this assessment show that Russia is winning and growing stronger, as the Russian diplomats and propaganda are trying to convince the world?

Indeed, justice always prevails. Those who initiate a war of aggression will ultimately pay the price - politically, economically, and legally.

Yesterday was an important day for international justice, as ECHR issued its judgment in the case of Ukraine and the Netherlands v. Russia.

Let me quote from it. “The nature and scale of the violence as well as the ominous statements [from Russia] concerning Ukraine’s statehood, its independence and its very right to exist represent a threat to the peaceful co-existence that Europe has long taken for granted […] In none of the conflicts previously before the Court has there been such near universal condemnation of the “flagrant” disregard by the respondent State [Russia] for the foundations of the international legal order established after the Second World War and such clear measures taken by the Council of Europe to sanction [Russia’s] disrespect for the fundamental values of the Council of Europe: peace, as already underlined, but no less importantly human life, human dignity and the individual rights guaranteed by the Convention”. End of quote.

Every legal mechanism matters – be it the ICC, the ICJ, or the ECHR – together they form a shield against impunity. And if any gap remains, it must be filled.

The establishment of a Special Tribunal plays an important role in this regard.

We are therefore grateful to the EU delegation for co-organizing the event on the establishment of the Special Tribunal for the Crime of Aggression against Ukraine.

As I said at the event, the spirit of Nuremberg is in the air. We must seize this opportunity to make this world more just. It is our turn to ensure justice for the future generations. History is watching us.

And while the Kremlin propaganda tries to mock these efforts, Vladimir Putin has stopped travelling outside of Russia. Actions speak louder than words.

Justice must be restored including by providing reparation for the damage caused to Ukraine by this aggression.

To this end, Russian frozen assets must be fully utilized. It would also send a powerful message to potential aggressors.

Speaking of the reconstruction, we are once again grateful to Italy for hosting the Ukraine Recovery Conference. Its work has just commenced.

Helping Ukraine to foster prosperity and advance reforms towards integration into the European Union is one of the crucial tracks for repealing Russia’s aggression.

It is important that the OSCE does not stand aside. We are grateful for the OSCE’s contribution to Ukraine’s recovery.

We look forward to new projects aimed to overcome consequences of the Russian war, in line with the priorities identified during the Ambassadors’ visit to Kyiv.

Providing Ukraine with defensive weapons and strengthening its resilience, as well as increasing sanction pressure on Russia together with ensuring its accountability are those elements that can effectively underpin our diplomatic efforts and help us to achieve a just peace for Ukraine and Europe.

They can also help us to enforce the principles and commitments to which every participating State has voluntarily subscribed within the OSCE.

I thank you.