We’ve listened very carefully to the Russian delegation, including their attacks on the UK.
Let me say one thing.
Let us all hope that Russia engages more seriously and with more sincerity in the peace talks than we’ve heard here today.
Russia has just blamed the UK and other European countries for somehow sabotaging peace.
They’re trying to complicate things and confuse us.
But the reality is quite simple. Let me restate a few simple facts.
1) Russia invaded Ukraine twice in fact, in recent years.
2) Russia violated the UN Charter.
3) Russia is right, as we speak, trying to annex Ukrainian land.
4) Russia appears, from its public statements, to be seeking the overthrow of the government in Kyiv and to impose limits on Ukraine’s independence.
5) Russia has rejected an unconditional ceasefire.
6) Russia continues to bomb cities across Ukraine, 900 drone and missile attacks in just three days last week.
There is plenty more we could talk about, including Russia’s use of sophisticated weaponry in urban areas, killing civilians, or its reckless seizure of the largest nuclear power plant in Europe.
We could talk about the enablers of Russia’s war, such as weapons flows from Iran and its military partnership with DPRK, in violation of Council resolutions, and weaponised dual-use goods from other third parties.
But in the end, we don’t really need to look beyond the most essential facts about Russia’s invasion to understand the situation and what needs to happen next.
Ukraine on the other hand
1) Is defending its territory.
2) Is defending the principles of the UN Charter.
3) Has agreed to an unconditional ceasefire.
President Zelenskyy has even offered direct talks with President Putin, which President Putin has rejected.
So yes, the UK stands proudly with Ukraine as it seeks a just and lasting peace.
Supporting Ukraine to defend itself from Russian attacks is not the cause of this war; it is a necessary response to it.
The onus really is on Russia, and President Putin, to show they are serious about ending the war that they started. Let us hope they do that very soon.
