Colleagues, we convene today to address the situation in Ukraine, as we collectively mourn the lives lost due to Russia’s recent attacks.
This weekend saw two of the largest mass air attacks of the war, back-to-back.
Over three days, Russia launched over 900 drones and missiles at Ukrainian cities, reportedly resulting in the deaths of 30 people and injuring a further 150.
And these deaths were not an accident. Russia’s missile and drone strikes struck major urban centres and densely populated regions.
Over the night of 24 May, among those killed were three children, specifically, three siblings Stanislav, aged 8, Tamara, aged 12, and Roman, aged 17. Each of them on the edge of a new chapter of childhood, adolescence, and young adulthood, all of them robbed of life too soon.
Such acts are a stark reminder of the urgent need to bring this war to an end.
Russia’s attacks are not only sustained, they are worsening. As OHCHR has verified, in the first three months of this year alone, there have been 2,641 civilian casualties. That’s nearly 900 more than during the same period in 2024, and over 600 more than early 2023.
The increased killing of civilians is an affront to our shared values of human dignity and peace.
Values which President Putin claims to share, yet continues to violate.
Putin’s priorities are demonstrated by his timing. These attacks were launched days after talks in Istanbul, in which Russia, yet again, refused to agree to an unconditional ceasefire.
Presented with another opportunity for meaningful progress towards peace, Putin chose war.
President, while Ukraine stands ready for an unconditional ceasefire, Russia sustains its aggression. And once again, innocent civilians are paying the price. Russia’s actions speak much louder than its words.
So we call on Russia to comply with international law, including the UN Charter, and to stop the killing of innocent civilians.
Russia’s unrelenting invasion of its sovereign neighbour will only redouble our resolve to help Ukraine defend itself and to use the necessary measures to restrict Putin’s war machine.
We will work in unison with the US, Ukraine, our European and international partners until a just and lasting peace is no longer an aim, but an enduring reality.
