Mr Chairperson,

Last week, at the Annual Security Review Conference, many participating States rightly noted that an immediate and comprehensive ceasefire is the only path towards a just and lasting peace.

Many participating States also acknowledged the regrettable reality that Moscow continues to reject peace and persist in its appalling campaign of terror against the civilian population of Ukraine.

Both during the ASRC and in the days that followed, this disturbing pattern continued, with new Russian strikes reported almost daily.

Between 17 and 22 June, Russia carried out a series of large-scale attacks against Ukrainian cities and regions, including Kyiv, Sumy, Kharkiv, Dnipro, Poltava, and Zaporizhzhia.

Hundreds of drones and missiles were launched, killing and injuring civilians, damaging homes, and destroying critical civilian infrastructure.

On 20 June alone, five civilians were killed in Zaporizhzhia by a Russian glide bomb, while a further 13 people were injured.

Last Friday and throughout the weekend, Russia launched nearly 100 drones each day. Once again, these attacks were directed not at military objects, but at civilians across Ukraine.

Particularly alarming was the attack of 21 June in the Black Sea as it was directed against the civilian cargo vessels. In that attack, Russian drones struck three civilian merchant vessels en route to Ukrainian ports. This appalling act of aggression against the very freedom of navigation, caused a fire aboard a vessel flying the flag of Panama, that resulted in the death of an Egyptian crew member. Vessels flying the flags of Palau and Belize were also targeted.

These terrible incidents demonstrate, once again, Russia's continued disregard for international law, its deliberate campaign of terror against the civilian population, as well the global dimension of war consequences.

Esteemed colleagues,

A totally unconstructive pattern of Russian behaviour is further confirmed by reports from independent observers operating under international mandates. Time and again, they document new evidence of violations committed by Russia.

The UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine has already underlined that the increased use of powerful weapons against populated areas in Ukraine has led to a significant rise in casualties, substantially higher than in previous years.

Equally concerning developments documented in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine. International monitoring mechanisms record killings, torture, denial of humanitarian access, conflict-related sexual violence, and other grave violations committed by the occupation forces.

Today, the Russian Federation is listed under two key UN accountability mechanisms: the mandate on children and armed conflict, and the mandate on conflict-related sexual violence.

This is an unprecedented situation: a state occupying a permanent seat on the UN Security Council is simultaneously listed under two UN "lists of shame".

 Mr Chairperson,

As Moscow continues to reject all meaningful peace efforts, Ukraine has no choice but to exercise its inherent right of self-defence, striking legitimate military targets and inflicting further damage on the aggressor's war machine.

In recent weeks, the Armed Forces of Ukraine have conducted a number of successful operations against military facilities supporting Russia's war of aggression.

Among them, there are several oil refineries, including those located more than 2,000 kilometres from the state border, as well as military training grounds, command posts, and logistical facilities located both in Russia and in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine.

On 22 June, units of the Ukrainian Air Force successfully targeted a military-industrial facility in Voronezh that manufactures, or rather manufactured, components for Russian missile systems, including the infamous Iskander system.

As Minister Sybiha recently stated, the most effective way to compel the Kremlin to end this war is to deprive the regime of oxygen - militarily, economically, politically, and technologically. Ukraine is doing its part through long-range strikes and operations aimed at disrupting the logistical support of Russia's occupation forces.

Ukraine’s deep-strike capabilities have already demonstrated that Russia is not invincible. With strong international pressure, sanctions, and restrictive measures in place, they can help bring about meaningful change of Moscow`s behaviour.

Together, we can deprive the Kremlin's war machine of the resources it needs to sustain its aggression and leave the Russian leadership with no viable option but to end the war. The time to act is now.

 Thank you, Mr Chairperson.