Thank you, Mister Chair. It is now a full 22 days since Ukraine expressed its readiness to accept an immediate 30-day ceasefire. The only condition that Ukraine attached was that Russia should agree to it too. Rather than grasp this opportunity for peace, Russia has chosen to continue to fight, a decision whose consequence is the needless sacrifice of more lives of soldiers and civilians on both sides. The indiscriminate shelling of civilian areas has shown no sign of slowing down. Last week, Russia sent over a thousand drones towards Ukraine. In Kharkiv, a military hospital was targeted. A kindergarten was damaged. At least, 25 people were hurt, including a 15-year-old girl left in a serious condition.
This is the price that Ukrainians pay for the Kremlin’s game playing with the peace process. Rather than engaging seriously with the US-led peace initiative, President Putin is resorting to his old playbook and looking to distract and delay. His attempt last week to question the credibility of President Zelenskyy was nothing more than a transparent ploy to deflect from the real matter at hand Russia’s failure to get more seriously to the table, and commit to a full, immediate and unconditional ceasefire.
Regrettably, we see no evidence that President Putin is seriously preparing for peace. Published readouts of the US convened ceasefire talks in Saudi Arabia confirmed a naval ceasefire and prevention of use of commercial vessels for military purposes in the Black Sea. The UK welcomed this important step, but Russia immediately backtracked and placed conditions on the agreement – despite good faith commitment from Ukraine. Just this week, President Putin has ordered the largest conscription drive since the war began.
We do not need to look far for reminders as to why this war must end. This week marks the third anniversary of the appalling acts by the invading Russian forces in Bucha. The gruesome images of bodies lying in the streets shocked the world. Russia’s armed forces acted with total contempt and disregard for civilian life and the most fundamental principles of the laws of war.
However, rather than reckoning with these atrocities, we see continued Russian efforts in this council and others, to spread disinformation in an effort to absolve themselves of responsibility for these illegal and inhumane actions. This is despite the litany of evidence, including witness testimonies, independently verified satellite imagery, photos and videos. The UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine has categorically documented attacks on civilians, including conflict-related sexual violence, and summary executions.
Mister Chair, we must emphasise the need for accountability for these actions and renew our commitment to collaborating towards enduring peace. Distortions of the historical record will not help in this endeavour. Rather we need the Russian state to commit to peace and demonstrate the sincerity of its words. Thank you, Mister Chair.
