Mr Chairperson,

On 4 June 2026, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy issued an Open Letter to the President of Russia, outlining concrete steps towards ending the war. In his Letter, the President of Ukraine called for an end to the bloodshed and reaffirmed his readiness to meet at the leaders’ level to address the issues of war and peace.

We are grateful to all states and organisations that expressed their support for this Open Letter and demonstrated their commitment to a genuine diplomatic process. As the President of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly, Pere Joan Pons, rightly noted in his reaction, “[It is] time to have a meeting to negotiate peace.”

Regrettably, Russia has once again rejected the path of peace and openly opted for the continuation of hostilities. The Kremlin’s response to the Open Letter of the President of Ukraine demonstrated, yet again, that there is no political will in Moscow to end its war of aggression.

This is Russia’s message to the entire international community. This is also a message to the Russian population, for whom it means that they will continue to die on the battlefield for no legitimate purpose.

Not for self-defence, not for a just cause, as Moscow tries to portray this. But for the Kremlin's imperialistic ambitions, who clearly ignores all rational arguments and the real state of play on the ground.

For five consecutive months, Russian losses have now exceeded 30,000 killed and wounded each month. A figure surpassing the Soviet losses during the entire Afghanistan war, that became one of the drives of the USSR collapse.

Instead of seizing the opportunity to move towards a diplomatic resolution, Russia continues to deepen the militarisation of its society through extensive propaganda, including those directed at children. Just one example is Moscow’s plan to allocate nearly USD 800 million to so-called “patriotic education” programmes in 2026. It is almost 20 times more than before the launch of its full-scale invasion.

Esteemed colleagues,

Over the past week, Russia has launched more than 3,250 attack drones, nearly 1,800 guided aerial bombs, and 88 missiles against Ukraine. At least 73 civilians were killed, and 394 injured, across the country.

Already this week, during the night of 8-9 June, Russian forces carried out yet another large-scale wave of attacks against civilians.

In the city of Chuhuiv in the Kharkiv region, as a result of Russia’s overnight strikes, at least three people were killed, including a 22-year-old pregnant woman.

In Zaporizhzhia, Russian attacks killed at least two people and injured more than thirty others, including children.

In Chernihiv region, a Russian strike targeted a civilian lorry delivering bread, injuring its 55-year-old driver.

Particularly alarming is the growing scale of Russia’s nuclear intimidation and its provocations targeting Ukrainian nuclear facilities.

Just recently, Russia orchestrated a provocation around the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant in an attempt to falsely accuse Ukraine of attacking the facility.

On 7 June, a Russian drone struck the container reception building of the Centralised Spent Nuclear Fuel Storage Facility in Kyiv region. The explosion destroyed the building and damaged nearby structures, including facilities used by IAEA experts.

These attacks and provocations create unacceptable risks to nuclear safety and security. They demonstrate Russia’s blatant disregard for the IAEA’s principles and safety standards. More broadly, they prove that Russia war of aggression has no limits even when it comes to the risk of a global-scale incident.

Mr Chairperson,

Against this background, the international community must remain united, principled, and resolute in defending the principles our common security depends on.

The pressure on the aggressor must be maintained and intensified. The political, economic, and military costs of continuing this war must continue to rise.

For its part, Ukraine remains steadfast in its diplomatic efforts to restore a just and lasting peace to Europe. It was precisely with this objective in mind that President Zelenskyy participated in the recent E3-Ukraine meeting in London.

During the meeting, the leaders of Ukraine, the United Kingdom, France, and Germany reaffirmed that peace requires an immediate and comprehensive ceasefire, respect for Ukraine’s sovereign right to determine its own security arrangements, robust and legally binding security guarantees, the continued immobilisation of Russian assets until Russia provides compensation for the damage caused, and full consideration of European security interests in any future settlement.

Only sustained unity, determination, and accountability can create the conditions for a comprehensive, just, and lasting peace.

Thank you, Mr Chairperson.