UN Transcripts — https://transcripts.un.org/en/sc/10124
Maintenance of peace and security of Ukraine - Security Council, 10124th meeting — Security Council — 23 March 2026
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Automatically generated transcript — may contain errors. Not an official United Nations record.

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United States of America · President · Christopher Landau [0:07]:

The 10,124th meeting of the Security Council is called to order.

The provisional agenda for this meeting is maintenance of peace and security of Ukraine.

The agenda is adopted in accordance with Rule 37 of the council's Provisional Rules of Procedure. I invite the representatives of Estonia, Finland, Poland and Ukraine to participate in this meeting.

It is so decided.

In accordance with Rule 39 of the council's Provisional Rules of Procedure. I invite the following briefers to participate in this meeting. Ms. Rosemary DeCarlo, Under Secretary General for Political and Peace building Affairs and Mr. Tom Fletcher, Undersecretary General for for Humanitarian affairs and Emergency Relief Coordination.

It is so decided.

In accordance with Rule 39 of the council's Provisional Rules of Procedure. I also invite His Excellency Mr. Stavros Lambrinidis, head of the delegation of the European Union to the United nations, to participate in this meeting.

It is so decided.

The Security Council will now begin its consideration of item two of the agenda.

I now give the floor to Ms. Rosemary DeCarlo.


UN Secretariat · USG Political and Peacebuilding Affairs · Rosemary DiCarlo [2:10]:

Thank you, Mr. President. It is over four years since the Russian Federation's full scale invasion of Ukraine. Nearly 1500 days of death, destruction and despair. And today, far from abating, the violence is worse than ever since February 2022. The Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights has verified that 15,360 64 civilians, including 775 children, have been killed.

In Ukraine. Another 42,144 civilians, including 2,588 children, have been injured. The actual number of casualties is likely significantly higher. In February of this year alone, at least 188 civilians were killed and 757 injured, a 45% increase compared to the same period last year. Attacks have continued this month.

On 7 March, a strike on a residential building in Kharkiv reportedly killed at least 10 civilians, including children. Some residents are still missing. An attack in kyiv region on 13 to 14 March reportedly killed six people and injured several others. Six people were killed and 27 injured in Russian attacks on Donetsk, Kharkiv and Kherson Oblast on 20 March. A house in the city of Zaporizhzhia was destroyed in a Russian strike on 21 March.

A couple was killed and their two children in injured. Reports also indicate an increase in strikes targeting railroads and other transport infrastructure in Ukraine. In Mykolaiv and Odessa regions, five people were reportedly injured in two attacks on railway infrastructure on 4 March and in Sumy, drones reportedly hit passenger trains on 8 and 14 March. Mr. President. Over the winter, damage to Ukraine's energy infrastructure brought the country's energy grid to the brink of total collapse.

According To Ukrainian authorities, 60% of gas production capacity has been destroyed and all the country's power stations damaged, leading to persistent disruptions in electricity, heating and water across the country. Energy, industrial import infrastructure facilities have been damaged in Odesa. In the last such attack on 19 March, four people were reportedly injured when drones hit apartment buildings. Repairs to the energy sector, where possible at all, will take time and require concerted international support. The Russian Federation has also reported attacks impacting civilians and civilian infrastructure.

Over the weekend of 14 to 16 March, local authorities in the Russian Federation reported the largest Ukrainian drone attack targeting Moscow to date. At least 250 drones were reportedly shot down near the Russian capital. No civilian casualties have been reported in Russian regions bordering Ukraine, Kursk, Belgorod and Bryansk, as well as the southern Krasnodar region. Local officials have reported civilian casualties and damage to infrastructure from alleged strikes. The United nations cannot verify these reports due to lack of access and limited public information, but international humanitarian law clearly prohibits attacks against civilians and civilian infrastructure.

All such attacks, wherever they occur, must cease. Mr. President, military activity near Ukraine's nuclear sites, including the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, continues with potentially devastating consequences following repeated disruptions caused by military activity. Successful repairs on the plant's power supplies were carried out on 5 March under the fifth local ceasefire negotiated by the International Atomic Energy Agency. We commend the crucial work of IAEA to help ensure the safety and security of Ukraine's nuclear sites as the conflict drags on. We commend the countries that are still hosting millions of Ukrainian refugees for their continuing support.

There are still over 6.7 million refugees from Ukraine globally. Over 3.7 million people are displaced inside Ukraine. We welcome the extension of protection measures by the European Union until March 2027, recognizing that conditions are not yet conducive to large scale returns. Long term international support is also needed for Ukraine's recovery and reconstruction. Total war damage has reached an estimated US$195 billion.

Ukraine would also require 588 billion over the next decade for recovery and reconstruction. Similarly, substantial assistance will be needed to rid Ukraine of mine and unexploded ordnance. The scale of mine contamination in the country is one of the largest global globally. At the end of 2025, approximately 132,076 square kilometers of land remain, potentially contaminated by explosive hazards. Despite progress in clearance.

The reconstruction and rehabilitation of Ukraine should also be accompanied by accountability for the atrocities perpetrated during the war. The findings of the Independent Commission of Inquiry on Ukraine presented on 12 March are deeply concerning. The Commission concluded that, and I quote, russian authorities have committed the crimes against humanity of deportation and forcible transfer, as well as of enforced disappearance, both targeting children, end quote. All deported children must be returned home without delay. Their rights and identity must be fully protected.

We continue to support efforts to facilitate the return of Ukrainian children and commend the countries and organizations working toward this end. We note the recent exchanges of prisoners of war which saw 657 Ukrainian and and 657 Russian prisoners of war returned to their families in February and March. Such steps are important and should be expanded as we reiterate our call on the Russian Federation to facilitate access to and ensure the release of all Ukrainian civilian detainees. Mr. President, recent developments also underscore the serious regional impact of the war. Damage to the Novodnistros hydroelectric plant in the south of Ukraine on 7 March led to an oil spill and widespread water pollution on the Nistry river and neighboring Moldova.

It prompted a 15 day environmental alert and disruption to water services in the country's third largest city and other localities. Moldovan officials have also reported repeated violations of their airspace by drones. Mr. President, the suffering and destruction caused by the war in Ukraine can never be justified. The longer the war exists, the deadlier it becomes. With growing risks to regional and international security, a full, immediate and unconditional cease fire is imperative.

We welcome the diplomatic efforts led by the United States over the past year to advance peace in Ukraine as the most significant initiative to date to help restore momentum towards a peaceful resolution. These efforts require sustained commitment and support. The aim must be a just, lasting and comprehensive peace in line with the UN Charter, international law and relevant UN Resolutions. It must uphold the sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity of Ukraine within its internationally recognized borders. We remain ready to support all efforts to this end.


Speaker 3 [11:28]:

Thank you, Mr. President. I thank you, Ms. DiCarlo, for your briefing.


United States of America · President · Christopher Landau [11:34]:

I now give the floor to Mr. Tom Fletcher.


UN Secretariat · USG Humanitarian Affairs (ERC) · Tom Fletcher [11:41]:

Thank you, Mr. President. And you've heard a strong and comprehensive briefing from US G. DeCarlo. So let me just underline four points and make three brief asks. As you've heard, civilian casualties in Ukraine far exceed levels this time last year. Civilians continue to face waves of drone and missile strikes, destroying homes, schools and hospitals.

Entire communities forced to flee as facilities intensify in frontline areas for children. This means missing schooling, prolonged stress and fear, separated from loved ones. At the same time, many civilians, including older people and those with limited means, remain in high risk areas. Second point to underline these strikes on energy and other vital infrastructure are cutting civilians off from the basics of survival. Electricity, water, heat.

Tens of thousands of families across the country are left in the dark and cold for weeks on end. These attacks reflect a sustained pattern of damage to the systems on which civilians depend to survive. With humanity increasingly stepping in to fill the gaps left by the deterioration of essential services. This is a population under constant strain, where the damage builds quietly but relentlessly alongside the visible destruction. Mr. President, a third point to underline this conflict in Ukraine is increasingly characterized by the use of advanced technologies.

Just one example. On 20th of March, a team from the national NGO Poliska Humanitarian Mission, an NGO I visited last year, came under fire while evacuating older people in the oblast of Donetskin. A drone strike killed two women and injured two other evacuees. The evacuation van was clearly, clearly marked with the logo of the humanitarian organization. There must be an investigation, accountability and practical steps to make sure that this does not recur.

Mr. President, on a positive note, despite these immense challenges and the risks to humanitarian operations and our people, help is getting through. In January alone, we and our partners reached nearly 1 million people with food, cash assistance, medical care, shelter and protection. Over a cruel cold winter, around 100 humanitarian organizations supported more than 1.6 million people. And in recent days, our interagency convoy reached a frontline community in the oblast of Kharknivska, delivering help to some 500 residents in an area with no pharmacies and limited availability of basic services. Of course, local organizations are the backbone of this effort and they deserve our support and protection.

Mr. President, I close with three asks of this council. First, as you've heard, international law must be upheld here and of course, everywhere. Please insist on protection of civilians and the essential infrastructure on which they rely to survive. Civilians, including those trying to bring others to safety, must be protected. This includes taking all feasible precautions to avoid and minimize civilian harm.

Second, please ensure rapid, safe, unimpeded humanitarian access to all civilians in need, wherever they are, including across front lines. Our access in Russian occupied areas remains severely constrained, limiting our ability to assess needs or deliver help to civilians. And third, our 2026 Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan requires $2 billion to reach 3.6 million of the most vulnerable people with food, heating, medical care and protection. Nearly three quarters of that plan is still unfunded. So please fund the response so that we can deliver life saving aid at the scale and the speed needed.

Thank you.


United States of America · Deputy Secretary of State · Christopher Landau [15:55]:

Thank you, Mr. Fletcher. I thank you for your briefing. I shall now make a statement in my capacity as the Deputy Secretary of State. State of the United States of America.

I want to begin by thanking Undersecretary DeCarlo and Under Secretary Fletcher for your briefings. When I was last here for UNGA in September, I organized an event called the UN Getting Back to Basics. The key point is that the primary reason for creating the UN in the wake of World War II was, was to stop future wars. And yet the UN keeps getting bogged down on tangential issues and failing in that core mission. The UN's inability to stop the war in Ukraine is an unfortunate example of this failure.

That terrible war has now lasted more than four years, longer than the United States itself was involved in World War II. From the day he returned to office last year, President Trump has made it clear that he's determined to end the war in Ukraine. That war never would have happened if he'd been president, and it's imperative to end the senseless death and destruction. And the war obviously doesn't just affect the belligerence. It has thrown the entire international political, economic and military order out of whack.

It has imposed enormous costs on the belligerents first and foremost, but also on many other nations. Our administration is continuing to pursue a deal to end the war. Talks with the belligerents have remained ongoing as recently as this past weekend. What we're trying to do is to show both sides that they have more to gain from ending the war than from continuing to fight. Peace would unlock prosperity like this region has never seen before.

It's unfortunate that the UN has failed to play the constructive role in seeking peace that President Trump has been playing. I ask those of you who are about to make statements here today, are your statements actually likely to advance a peaceful resolution of the conflict? Do your statements try to identify something that could incentivize the belligerents to lay down their arms? Do your statements do anything to bring the parties to the negotiating table or to drive them away? Or are your statements just words that aren't geared to lead to any tangible results?

It's our fervent hope that the US presidency of the Security Council this month can mark a moment where the UN produces more than words and actually creates a pathway for peace. We extend a hand of friendship and cooperation to anyone who has constructive ideas for how we can close a deal to end the war. The Trump administration remains committed to working with both Russia and Ukraine to end this war. And we reiterate our call on both sides to negotiate in good faith in a spirit of flexibility, compromise and a duty to protect and preserve the lives of their citizens. There's no greater honor than being a peacemaker.

Let's resolve today to have the UN play a role in bringing about peace in Ukraine so that people looking back on this period won't say that the UN rendered itself irrelevant and that peace was ultimately achieved despite the un, not because of the un. Thank you. I resume my function as President of the Council.


United States of America · President · Christopher Landau [20:02]:

I now give the floor to the representative of latvia.


Latvia [20:09]:

Thank you, Mr. President. And let me begin by warmly welcoming you and your presiding over this meeting today. And I Wish to thank USG DiCarlo and USG Fletcher for their very detailed and factual briefings.

Mr. President, it has been over four years now since Russia unleashed its full scale aggression against Ukraine. But in reality, this war of choice by the Russian Federation has been ongoing for 12 years. It started in 2014.

The briefings we just heard clearly describe the situation on the ground, the violations committed and outline what needs to be done, including the asks by USG Fletcher. And we also highly commend the sustained peace efforts by the United States and European countries and underline Ukraine's constructive engagement in peace negotiations. Meanwhile, we also know that ending this war depends entirely on the aggressor, the Russian Federation. Hence, Platville demands the immediate and unconditional cessation of all attacks by the Russian Federation against Ukraine. For over a year, Ukraine has demonstrated its readiness for a ceasefire.

And I have a question, has Russia demonstrated the same? Ukraine has been engaging constructively in talks and planning for peace despite its deeply gruesome past experience with agreements such as signed with Russia that have been breached repeatedly. Russia has violated over 20 ceasefires with Ukraine even before starting the full scale aggression in 2022.

And Latvia expresses its full solidarity with Ukraine and its people. Indeed, Ukraine has legitimate security concerns and not by whim, but by experience. And this is why robust security guarantees for Ukraine are crucial. Mr. President, the UN Secretary General and the UN General assembly have consistently reaffirmed the unwavering support for the territorial integrity, sovereignty and political independence of Ukraine. The Ukrainian nation remains united, strong and determined to defend their native land and its people.

Ukraine has been forced into applying its right of self defense as foreseen in the UN Charter.

Russia's military aggression has not been able to achieve its goals, goals that are imperial by nature, Russia has suffered massive losses since 2022. Around 1.3 million soldiers killed and wounded over the last three months. Russia is losing more troops that it can recruit, increasingly resorting to deceiving and luring foreign nationals under false pretenses and use them as cannon fodder in the war, in addition to coercive and illicit practices against its own citizens and forced militarization of Ukrainians in the occupied territories, including children. At the same time, Russia's territorial gains have been less than minimal 1.5% of Ukraine's territory since late 2022, and even those are diminishing. In February, Ukraine's gains exceeded the territory is lost and the Dnipropetrovsk region is almost fully liberated from the occupying forces.

And the fact is, Russia is not winning this war. When being unable to win against the heroic defenders of Ukraine, Russia is cowardly taking revenge on civilian population. And since Russia cannot succeed on the battlefield, it has intensified its attacks against Ukrainian civilians, first responders, the UN and local humanitarians alike. So Latvia calls upon the Russian Federation to fully comply with its obligations under the international law, including international humanitarian law, in particular regarding the protection of civilians and civilian objects. Russia must immediately cease their aggression and withdraw from the occupied territories.

And Russia must abide by the UN Security Council Resolution 2774.

And we welcome the leadership of the Secretary General and the work of the UN system in exposing Russia's crimes. The UN OHCHR has verified that the harm to the Ukrainian civilian population continues to worsen. With every year the civilians across the country suffer the dire consequences of sustained and systemic attacks by Russia on Ukraine's energy infrastructure. Serious violations of international humanitarian law by Russia have been widespread with virtual impunity. The systemic and widespread torture against prisoners of war and civilian detainees taking place in Russia's detention facilities must stop.

And we continue to call on Russia to provide unimpeded access to international and independent monitoring. And we reiterate the Secretary General's call for the immediate return of the deported and forcibly transferred Ukrainian children without delay. And we insist on the urgency to take action for children in armed conflict and against conflict related sexual violence. Mr. President, let me conclude by repeating this. Aggression by the Russian Federation against Ukraine has been on the council's agenda for 12 years, likely supports all diplomatic efforts to end this war and to achieve a just and lasting peace.

And the Security Council must shoulder its responsibility by taking a firm stance condemning this unlawful and unprovoked war of aggression by Russia and doing everything in our power to achieve a ceasefire and to prevent any future aggression. And I thank you.


President [26:16]:

I thank the representative of Latvia for the statement. I now give the floor to the representative of denmark.


Denmark [26:26]:

Thank you, Mr. President.

And let me also thank Under Secretary General DiCarlo and Under Secretary General Fletcher for their updates. Deputy Secretary State Landau, thank you for your presence here today today and for calling for concrete action to end this war which has been going on for way too long. More than four years since Russia's full scale invasion. The pictures our briefers have painted are painfully familiar. Continued Russian attempts to deny Ukrainians the ability to freely choose their destiny.

Relentless efforts to unlawfully seize Ukraine's territory, continue violations of international law, including the UN Charter. Mr. President, this has become the daily reality of Ukrainians who continue to bravely exercise their right to self defense. These briefings, these figures represent families torn apart, communities devastated, generations traumatized. While it may be considered familiar, we cannot become numb to that fact. It should continue to shock our collective conscience and spur our collective action.

Mr. President, against this backdrop, let me address three recent developments which are both highly illustrative and deeply alarming. First, as we've heard from both our briefers here today, Ukrainian civilians continue to suffer terribly under relentless Russian attacks. Since March 1, Russia has launched over 5,000 drones, 4,320, 4,320 guided aerial bombs and 127 missiles targeting Ukraine in the past 24 hours alone. Seven people were killed and 17 more injured following Russia's recent attacks. In Kharkiv, more than 50,000 children attend school underground every day only to return home to be attacked in their beds at night.

This is the harrowing reality of life under Russia's blitz of bomb, drone and missile attacks on Ukraine's cities. Denmark strongly condemns these attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructure. We repeat our call for an immediate ceasefire. Ukraine offered a comprehensive and unconditional ceasefire more than a year ago. Russia's continued refusal to engage shows that Ukraine is the only party seriously committed to peace.

In addition, these weapons bring death and destruction to Ukraine. Do not stop at the borders. We are seeing the fate they use far from the European continent. Specifically in the Gulf. We commend Ukraine for providing hard won expertise in countering such drone attacks to countries to the countries affected.

Second, Mr. President, the UN's Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Ukraine recently concluded that Russia committed crimes against humanity by illegally abducting thousands of children from the temporary occupied territories. While some children have been returned, these successes only follow tireless Ukrainian and international pressure. As the Commission's report makes clear 80% of documented deported children remain separated from their loved ones. After more than four years, Denmark renews its demand for the immediate implementation of the December 2025 General Assembly Resolution called the Return of Ukrainian Children. Children must never be pawns in war.

They must be identified, traced and returned safely to their families. We've seen two credible signs from the Russian Federation that is working to implement this resolution. Those responsible for these horrendous crimes must be held fully accountable. Third, Mr. President, the Russian military has reportedly already sustained more than 1.2 million casualties in this senseless war. The Kremlin is now increasingly and desperately turning to other countries for manpower.

Recent media reports detail over 1,000 men from Africa who were tricked into fighting in Russia's illegal war. This shows that the global dangers of Putin's war of choice. Denmark urges all governments to prevent their nationals from being exploited in this way. So, Mr. President, in closing, Denmark appreciates the U. S. Led negotiations and calls on Russia to engage seriously in talks to end this senseless war. It is time for President Putin to heed your call for action now.

Mr. Deputy Secretary. Russia's invasion of Ukraine has failed and it will fail. History has shown time and again that people cannot be controlled indefinitely at the barrel of a gun. Ukraine's many international supporters remain committed to its independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity within its internationally recognized borders. As the overwhelming majority of UN members affirmed in the General assembly in February, the only viable path to peace is clear.

An immediate ceasefire, serious peace talks, and a just, comprehensive and lasting peace in line with the UN Charter. Denmark would stand with Ukraine each step of the way to achieve this goal. I thank you.


President [31:49]:

I thank the representative of Denmark for the statement. I now give the floor to the representative of France.


France [31:56]:

Merci. Thank you, Mr. President. And welcome, Mr. Deputy Secretary General, to New York. We are pleased to have you with us today for a Security Council meeting on a matter that is close to our hearts. Thank you, Madam Under Secretary General Rosemary DeCarlo.

And thank you, Under Secretary General Mr. Tom Fletcher for your briefings that remind us of the serious nature of this situation. Your briefings reminded us as if we needed a reminder that the war in the Middle east comes on top of the war in Europe, but doesn't eclipse it. The two conflicts have something in common. Indeed. The shahed drones transferred by Iran to Russia struck major Ukrainian cities well before Iran used them against cities in the Gulf.

And what should we think about the Russians proposals for mediation in the Middle East? Just. Just as Moscow refuses to Halt the fighting in Europe, fighting that is underway on its initiative. The war waged by Russia is already into its fifth year, with intolerable consequences that we've heard about, consequences that we refuse to grow accustomed to. There are consequences in Ukraine with ongoing strikes, widespread strikes on the populations and civilian infrastructure, with the situation of Ukrainian children deported and transferred to Russia that the Independent Commission of Inquiry on Ukraine has thoroughly documented, and which it has for the first time characterized as war crimes and crimes against humanity.

This war is indeed an aggressor and an aggressed state. It is a war on Ukrainian territory in which Ukraine is resisting to defend its independence and its sovereignty.

There are also consequences for all over the world, because through Moscow's resorting to lure men from 17 countries in Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Middle east to join the Russian armed forces and fight on the Ukrainian front line. This too is also well documented by the Independent Commission of Inquiry, which has said that, I quote, that many of the them were lured and tricked by offers of civilian jobs. Russia continues to gamble on a tragic prospect of an endless war in Ukraine. It refuses to engage in good faith in negotiations and is pursuing the same maximalist objectives as it did at the start of the conflict. Despite months of discussions, in particular with the United States.

Russia is betting on the exhaustion of Ukraine and its partners. But it is mistaken. On the front line, Russian forces are going nowhere or even retreating in the face of Ukrainian armed forces. Our support for Ukraine will not waver either, because what is at stake here is a defense of international law, the charter of the United nations and the defense of Europe as a whole. Our course here, Mr. President, is clear.

Continuing legitimate support for Ukraine, which is courageously defending itself, maintaining necessary pressure, particularly economic pressure, on Russia. Our determination remains intact. We can see that through the interception on the Mediterranean on Friday by the French navy of a vessel belonging to Russia's shadow fleet involved in financing Moscow's war effort and posing additional risk to coastal states. Almost one year to the day after Ukraine accepted in Jeddah on the request of the United States, an immediate unconditional ceasefire, which we call on Russia to finally accept for itself the same ceasefire that it proposed for the Middle east, the UN Secretary General, the vast majority of member states from all continents, and the resolution adopted by the General assembly on 24th February this year have all unambiguously called for this. Mr. President, France supports negotiations and we invite Russia to take up this offer in good faith.

Faith on the initiative of the United States to stop the fighting, rather than trying to prolong it through stalling tactics that have gone on too long. We support these peace efforts. We stand ready for dialogue in good faith, just as we stand ready to guarantee Ukraine's security in the long term with the coalition of the willing. We will continue to work with our partners to reach a just and lasting settlement to this conflict. That is a settlement that respects the independence and sovereignty of Ukraine.


President [36:35]:

Thank you. I thank the representative of France for the statement and I now give the floor to the representative of Greece.


Greece [36:44]:

Thank you, Mr. President. Deputy Secretary Landau, I thank you for your presence here today highlighting the seriousness of the situation. I also thank USG Ticarlo and USG Fletcher for their comprehensive remarks and I welcome the participation of Ukraine in this meeting.

Mr. President, Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine has now entered its fifth year and attacks are continuing. During another winter of war, Russia continued to relentless attack civilians and civilian infrastructure only during last month. Schools, public buses, residential buildings and railway infrastructure were among the targets with While casualties, including children, continue to steadily rise by more than 30% compared to the same period last year. Greece reiterates its absolute condemnation of these attacks and its unwavering solidarity and support to the Ukrainian people. Any targeting of civilians violates the most fundamental tenets of international humanitarian law and should cease immediately.

Mr. President, the ongoing conflict in the Middle east should not divert our focus and attention from Ukraine. The bloodshed needs to stop now. This is the will of the overwhelming majority of the international community as repeatedly enshrined in multiple General assembly resolutions, including the most recent one adopted in of favor February. We also call on Russia to cooperate on the safe return of the Ukrainian children in line with the General assembly resolution adopted last December. We stress the findings of the latest report of the international Independent Commission of Inquiry on Ukraine concluding that deportation, forcible transfer of Ukrainian children as well as their enforced decision, its appearance, along with other serious violations of human rights attest to war crimes and crimes against humanity.

Mr. President, Greece has supported the U. S led peace efforts and the bilateral engagement between Ukraine and Russia and welcomes its latest outcome, namely the exchange of more than 1,000 prisoners of war at the beginning of this month. We also support the next steps of this engagement to achieve peace, but not just any peace. As a staunch proponent of international law and the principles of the United Nations Charter, we remain committed to the principles of sovereignty, independence, territorial integrity of all states, rejecting any change of borders through the use of force. We emphasize that no peace agreement can be sustainable without the full consent of Ukraine and We stress the need for credible and enforceable security guarantees to deter future aggression.

That is the only way forward for Ukraine and the only way to achieve a comprehensive, just and lasting peace. Greece stands with the people of Ukraine and will continue to support a sovereign, prosperous, democratic and European future for Ukraine. I thank you.


SC · President [40:18]:

I thank the representative of Greece for the statement. I now give the floor to the representative of the United Kingdom.


United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland [40:27]:

Thank you, Mr. President. And welcome to the Security Council Deputy Secretary Landau. I also thank USGS dicarlo and Fletcher for their briefing. And I welcome the participation of the permanent representative of Ukraine and other countries of the region in our meeting.

Colleagues, it is over four years since Russia launched its illegal full scale invasion of Ukraine in direct violation of the UN Charter. It is a war that demands this Council's sustained attention.

In February, Russia fired 280 missiles at Ukraine, the highest monthly total of the entire war. And since 28 February, Russia has fired over 3200 drones at Ukraine. This is roughly as many as Iran, who supplied so many of these drones to Russia, has fired at all its neighbors combined in the same period.

Russia is now firing over 5,000 drones per month at Ukraine, five times higher than in 2024. The burden on Ukrainian civilians is immense.

There have been over 50,000 Ukrainian civilian casualties and over 15,000 killed since Russia started its war. Waves of attacks on its electricity and heating infrastructure in the depths of winter.

Russia has also sought to systematically erase Ukrainian identity, including through the forcible deportation and indoctrination of thousands of Ukrainian children Act that earlier this month the Independent Commission of Inquiry concluded constitute crimes against humanity.

Russia could end this war today. We repeat this because it remains true. Ukraine agreed in principle to a full, immediate and unconditional ceasefire 12 months ago. If Russia is serious about peace, we call upon it to agree the same and to engage in meaningful negotiations towards a just and lasting peace.

Ukraine remains committed to U. S led diplomatic efforts to achieve a just and lasting peace in line with the UN Charter. But in return, Russia has only dragged out talks, issued ultra maximalist demands and intensified its assault.

Mr. President, the UK fully supports the diplomatic efforts of our US colleagues to secure a peace that guarantees Ukraine's long term security, sovereignty and prosperity. We call on Russia to end its war of choice immediately and without preconditions. The UK Will not cease in our support for Ukraine and its people and I thank you.


Speaker 17 [43:43]:

I thank the representative of the United Kingdom for the statement and I now give the floor to the representative of the Russian Federation.


Russian Federation [43:55]:

Mr. President, You don't have to be particularly clever, nor do you have to be an insightful analyst to understand why the Ukrainian regime and its European accomplices requested today's meeting. Zelensky is literally flabbergasted by the spotlight shifting from Ukraine and his own heroic Persona over toward to the situation surrounding the escalation in the Middle East. A situation which objectively needs the close attention of the international community. The regime in Kyiv is no longer in the limelight and it's desperately trying to become the center of attention again. Yet the second rate actor from Krivy Rih, that is Zelenskyy, couldn't not seize the opportunity to try and get some dividends from the tragic events transpiring in the Middle East.

Zelenskyy sprung into action immediately. He began offering his assistance, talking about how he's sending Ukrainian military specialists and and drone calculations to places thousands of kilometers away to defend foreign bases and to participate in foreign conflicts. Instead of showing concern for his own people, his own country, he's trying to remind his Western sponsors of how useful he is at any cost. Otherwise, God forbid, the money he's regularly pocketed and put into the pockets of his associates will flow from Ukraine and to the Gulf, which is far from Ukraine. Clearly today, what's more important for Kyiv today is to be involved in any war rather than seek a path to peace back home.

That's why he's on a world tour, going to Europe, to the us, begging for financial and military assistance, trying to create the illusion of seeking peace, putting forward demands and the way he sees it, or rather hallucinates it, so called fair conditions, an immediate ceasefire, a return to 1991 borders, the deployment of foreign military contingents on Ukrainian territory, and so on and so forth. Mr. President, the Western members of the Security Council speak of supposedly growing numbers of Russian strikes, Ukrainian territory. And yet in European capitals and in Brussels, that is in the eu, they are all turning a blind eye to all Ukrainian armed forces crimes, continuing to provide comprehensive support to Kyiv. Mr. President, a few words about European beacons of democracy, if I may. European countries are undertaking desperate steps to silence everyone who's telling the truth about the situation in Ukraine.

Using trumped up pretexts, they are introducing restrictions on their own fellow citizens. Why are they doing this? Because these citizens have interpretations and views which are not in line with the official line of the EU or of specific Western states. These include the German bloggers Aline Lipp and Thomas Reppe, the French national Adrienne Bocke, the Swiss national Jacques Bod and the Brit, Graham Phillips. There's been no due process.

They have been accused of disinformation, propaganda and destabilising activities. Now, some of the aforementioned persons might be familiar to the Security Council from arrear formula meetings. This is nothing but intimidation. It's scare tactics. Persecution of dissidents has become common currency in Europe, whereas freedom of speech and the presumption of innocence are now empty words.

At the same time, Kyiv's terrorist attacks are not abating. On the contrary, they're on the rise. On 10 March, French and British long range storm shadows struck the city of Bryansk. The targeted strike hit a bustling business district located right next to residential houses containing multiple apartments, a children's goods store, several of them in fact a university and other civilian infrastructure. As a result, eight people died and over 40 were wounded.

On that very same day, the Ukrainian armed forces attacked using drones, a medical facility in the Donetsk People's Republic. During the attack, over 130 patients and roughly 50 medics were in the building. 10 medics died, 10 more people received wounds of varying levels of severity. On the whole, in the week between the 19th to the 15th of March, due to strikes and shelling by Ukrainian Nazis, 239 civilians suffered. 202 people were wounded, including 6 children and 37 were killed.

Almost 3.5 thousand rounds of ammunition hit civilian objects. We're seeing an unprecedented number of attacks using drones. Attacks targeting Russian regions, including Moscow and the Moscow Oblast. On the whole, Since February of 2022, at least 27,500 Russian civilians suffered as a result of Ukrainian armed forces attacks. Over 520 social facilities, 174 educational facilities and 74 health facilities were destroyed in the Belgorod oblast alone.

And in the Belgorod Oblast alone, 467 people died. Of them, 23 were children. Ukrainian armed forces are literally hunting down these live targets using drones. Civilians are regularly being targeted. This is a deliberate tactic being deployed by the Kyiv regime.

Right now, everyone is concerned by the situation surrounding the Hormuz Strait and the prospects of ensuring supply from the Persian Gulf. Let us remind you that the Security Council never did condemn the terrorist attacks against the Nord Stream pipelines, which are a major artery for transporting natural gas to Europe. Almost four years have gone by since those attacks, yet we still have not gotten the results of the investigation. Attacks are also continuing on other export infrastructure which supplies Russian gas via Turkstream and Blue Stream. In the last few days alone, there were drone attacks attempted on the Ruzkaya Compressor station in the Krasnodarsk region, as well as the Kazacha and Beregovaya stations.

These irresponsible actions are occurring at a time when global energy markets are acutely unstable, stable. Not to mention the Ukrainians blocking the Druzhba oil pipeline, which patently demonstrates the fact that Kyiv intends to use infrastructure as a way of exercising pressure. A political play. Previously, you Europeans groundlessly accused Russia of engaging in energy blackmail. But when Ukraine does this, and when there are, where there are grounds for us to say this, the response is silence.

That's something entirely different. You say Kyiv's reckless actions are on par with the terrorist attacks on Russian and foreign tankers in the international waters of the Mediterranean black seas which Kyiv has sanctioned. Is anyone on the Security Council interested in the freedom and safety of merchant shipping in this context? Anyone? Mr. President, it's increasingly obvious that the current Ukrainian authorities are interested in neither peace talks nor in the most basic humanitarian steps which could alleviate people's suffering.

And that can be seen not in words, but in the concrete deeds of Ukraine, or rather the lack thereof. Here's a simple example. In the city of Suma to date, there are seven civilians detained, people who were forcibly taken from the Kursk Oblast. These aren't servicemen, they're non combatants. They're regularly civilians who are being held hostage by Kyiv's lawlessness.

Yet when discussing prisoner exchanges, the Ukrainians first and foremost are insisting on the return of radical militants belonging to the Azov nationalist battalion. Meanwhile, the fate of ordinary mobilized men who frequently end up at the front against their will, well, that comes second. This is eloquently demonstrated. This eloquently demonstrates where Kyiv's priorities lie.

It's no longer possible to conceal the way the mobilization is proceeding in Ukraine. It can be concealed neither by loud pronouncements nor rhetoric. Abroad, the systemic, large scale and coercive campaign looks less and less like mobilization as we know it. It's increasingly turning into a hunt for humans. Images disseminated via social media speak for themselves.

Draft office staff are literally, literally kidnapping people in the streets. They're snatching them in their places of work, dragging them off public transport, and at the same time, the so called system of exemptions, which is supposed to protect certain categories of specialists from being drafted. Well, in practice, that system has become a corruption filter. Those who have money or connections are safe. The rest are sent off to the front.

All of the above creates a dangerous divide within society, whereby some are seen as a higher caste of sorts, whereas Others are expendable. And this is not just a moral issue, it's a strategic dead end. After all, an army built on coercion and fear cannot be combat ready. Against this backdrop, it's understandable why the upper echelons of power in Kyiv fear real talks. A serious diplomatic process will inevitably ask, why were so many people sacrificed?

Why weren't the opportunities for settlement seized upon? The President of the Russian Federation repeatedly reaffirmed that we are unequivocally committed to a negotiated solution and to achieving the goals of the special military operation via diplomatic methods. However, since the Kyiv regime is not ready for this, since egged on by its European friends, Kyiv intends to continue fighting at any cost. While Kyiv will soon have to face new conditions for a settlement. I thank you.


United States of America · President · Christopher Landau [54:35]:

I thank the representative of the Russian Federation for the statement. I now give the floor to the representative of Pakistan.


Pakistan [54:46]:

President Deputy Secretary of State, we welcome you presiding over this session. And I would also like to thank USG DiCarlo and USG Fletcher for their briefings. The conflict in Ukraine, now in its fifth year, has exacted a heavy cost on all those affected peoples, their livelihoods, economies, entire countries, entire regions and beyond. Its prolonged nature has deepened divisions, strained multilateralism and complicated efforts towards a peaceful resolution. The humanitarian dimension in particular is tragic.

As highlighted in the two briefings. Civilians continue to bear the brunt of hostilities with loss of life, displacement and destruction of homes and infrastructure. The continued human suffering underscores the urgent need to uphold human dignity, ensure protection of civilians, and prioritize a peaceful settlement of this conflict. President from the very first days of this conflict, Pakistan has stood on the side of dialogue and diplomacy. And we remain convinced that there is no military solution to this conflict and that a just and lasting peace can only be achieved through sustained, structured and meaningful dialogue.

We advocated our support for dialogue in 2022 when the two sides engaged in Istanbul, and we have continued to support all subsequent peace initiatives, including Security Council Resolution 2774 of February last year and the ongoing negotiation process facilitated by the United States. Regrettably, the unfolding of another totally avoidable crisis in the Middle east has also interrupted the negotiation process on Ukraine. We, however, hope that the next round of these negotiations would take place at the earliest and that all parties would continue their efforts for peace, demonstrate genuine political will, build mutual understanding, and engage constructively to achieve a negotiated settlement of the conflict, beginning with an immediate secession of hostilities. Bringing a lasting peace would require firm commitment to the principles and purposes of of the UN Charter and a focus on finding a mutually acceptable solution that corresponds to the respective positions and legitimate security interests of all sides. Pakistan will continue to support all initiatives aimed at bridging the divides and promoting pacific settlement of conflicts globally, Ukraine or elsewhere.

Always upholding international law and in full respect of the UN Charter principles. Pakistan therefore reiterates its call for restraint, de escalation and the resolution of all disputes through dialogue and diplomacy. I thank you.


President [58:21]:

I thank the representative of Pakistan for the statement. I now give the floor to the representative of Liberia.


Liberia [58:35]:

Mr. President, Liberia welcomes you and thanks the Briefers for their sobering updates.

As we have heard, we meet today against the backdrop of a conflict whose humanitarian consequences continue to deepen, particularly through the widespread destruction of infrastructure essential to civilian survival.

The destruction of energy systems, water networks and basic services, especially under winter conditions, has compounded the vulnerability of millions and underscores the urgency of a more focused and outcome oriented response from this Council. LIBERA calls on all parties to exercise maximum restraint and to act in full compliance with their obligations under international law. At the same time, the Security Council continues to engage this issue with notable regularity, including through monthly meetings. While such sustained attention is necessary, Liberia observes that this consistency of engagement has yet to translate at scale into measurable progress toward a cessation of hostilities, nor has it yielded a clearly articulated and credible pathway toward peace. We raise this observation mindful of the complexity of the situation but also conscious that the Council must continually assess whether its methods of engagement are aligned with the objective of influencing outcomes on the ground.

In this regard, Liberia is of the view that the Council must guard against a situation where it remains UN actively seized of the matter in form but less effective in advancing conditions for resolution. In substance, the value of our engagement must ultimately be measured by its contribution to de escalation and to a viable political horizon. Against this backdrop, Liberia wishes to highlight several considerations.

The protection of civilians must remain paramount. Previous speakers have made this point and over the last four years continue to do so. Attacks affecting infrastructure indispensable to civilian survival, including energy, water and health care systems, should be assessed not only in isolation, but in light of the accumulative and cascading humanitarian impact. All parties must fully comply with their obligations under international humanitarian law, including with respect to to the treatment of prisoners of war. In this regard, Liberia notes with concern issues raised in recent briefings, including serious concerns highlighted by the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights.

Such matters, where substantiated, must be addressed through appropriate and impartial processes Consistent with international law. Reports of violations affecting civilians and detained persons further underscore the importance of upholding accountability and reinforcing the normative framework governing armed conflict. At the same time, the Council's engagement must increasingly be guided by by the imperative of achieving tangible progress. Liberia encourages the identification of practical incremental steps that can contribute to de escalation and help build confidence toward a broader political resolution. Closely linked to this is the need to advance a realistic and clearly defined pathway toward peace, as the absence of such a framework continue to risk leaving ongoing efforts reactive rather than strategic.

Liberia also believes it will be a matter of concern if the Council were to conclude its engagement on this issue having maintained it on the agenda. Without demonstrable movement toward a resolution, sustained attention must translate into meaningful impact. We further note with concern reports regarding the movement and relocation of children in the context of the conflict. This is an issue that warrants continued attention and careful examination in future briefings giving its serious humanitarian and legal implications. In conclusion, Mr. President, Liberia remains convinced that there is no military solution to this conflict.

We therefore support renewed diplomatic engagement aimed at achieving a much needed ceasefire and a political settlement consistent with the purposes and principles of the United Nations Charter. We encourage this Council to match the regularity of its engagement with a renewed emphasis on strategic direction and measurable outcomes. A Council that meets consistently must also move the needle because being seized of a matter is not in itself a substitute for progress toward peace. I thank you for your kind attention.


United States of America · President · Christopher Landau [1:05:44]:

I thank the representative of Liberia for the statement.

I now give the floor to the representative of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.


Democratic Republic of the Congo [1:05:55]:

Mr. President, Mr. President, Deputy Secretary of State, A very warm welcome. The Democratic Republic of the Congo welcomes the calling of this meeting, which allows us to continue our exchanges on the situation in Ukraine. Light of recent developments, we'd like to extend our thanks to Ms. Rosemary DeCarlo and Mr. Tom Fletcher, respectively. USG for Political and Peace Building affairs and USG for Humanitarian Affairs. Thank you for your briefings, Mr. President.

The Democratic Republic of the Congo remains deeply disquieted by the ongoing hostilities and the dramatic consequences they're having for civilians. As we highlighted during our previous intervention, the deterioration of the humanitarian situation reminds us that behind these conflict dynamics are first and foremost human lives, families, entire communities who've been plunged into suffering. It's absolutely necessary to put an end to the hostilities and to ensure strict respect for for all commitments to a cease of all commitments to a ceasefire. Indeed, only an effective cessation of fighting will help reduce the suffering of civilian populations on a lasting basis and prevent an exacerbation of the humanitarian situation. On this note, although there haven't been any concrete improvements on the ground, the DRC nonetheless notes with great interest encouraging signals we saw in mid February signals which point to a resumption of diplomatic efforts.

We therefore urge all parties to opt for the path of dialogue and to double the efforts to consolidate an effective, lasting and credible ceasefire. Mr. President, respect for international humanitarian law and the protection of civilians should remain and stinting priorities in times of conflict. On this note, the DRC recalls the need to guarantee safe, rapid and unfettered humanitarian access to all people in need. Humanitarian actors should be able to intervene under appropriate security conditions so as to effectively meet the pressing needs of the populations in question. We further reiterate our deep disquiet about attacks targeting civilian infrastructure, in particular energy facilities, the deterioration of which directly affects people's living conditions and compromises their access to essential services.

Mr. President, the DRC would like to recall that this conflict is also still having ramifications far beyond this particular theater. Indeed, the ongoing conflict in Ukraine is aggravating existing economic and food insecurity, which is weighing very heavily on the most fragile populations. In particular, this situation is contributing to the disruption in grains supply chains and basic necessity supply chains which is disproportionately affecting African countries which rely heavily on imports. Mr. President, by way of conclusion, the Democratic Republic of the Congo remains committed to the principles enshrined in the United Nations Charter, specifically the peaceful settlement of disputes, respect for sovereignty and the territorial integrity of states. We remain convinced that genuinely just and lasting peace can only be achieved by exploring diplomatic pathways which fully take into account the root causes of the crisis.

I thank you.


President [1:09:27]:

I thank the representative of the DRC for the statement. I give the floor to the representative of China.


China [1:09:38]:

President, I thank USG DiCarlo and USG Fletcher for their briefings. The protracted crisis in Ukraine is something that no party, including China, wishes to see. Since the beginning of this year, intensive dialogues on the Ukraine issue have taken place, which China welcomes. The negotiating table is the starting point for peace. Although the current momentum of talks has slowed, so long as dialogue continues, a solution will be found and the door to peace will be opened.

Since the outbreak of the crisis, China has consistently promoted peace talks and worked for a political settlement of the crisis. The four shoulds put forward by President Xi Jinping constitute the fundamental guidance for China's position on the Ukraine issue. We believe that the sovereignty and territorial Integrity of all countries should be respected. The purposes and principles of the UN Charter should be observed. The legitimate security concerns of all countries should be taken seriously and all efforts conducive to the peaceful settlement of the crisis should be supported.

In light of the latest developments, China wishes to stress the first, it is important to ensure the equal participation of all sides and strike a solid foundation for peace. The protracted crisis has become what it is today for a variety of complex reasons that involve multiple stakeholders. China supports the participation of all parties and stakeholders in the peace process, seeking common ground while setting aside differences through dialogue and building consensus through negotiations so as to jointly advance a political settlement and achieve lasting peace. Second, it is important to accommodate the legitimate concerns of all sides and enhance the will for peace. Russia and Ukraine are neighbors that cannot be moved away.

What is needed is goodwill instead of hostility and mutual respect instead of confrontation. China encourages both sides to proceed from the fundamental and long term interests of their peoples, accommodate each other's legitimate concerns and strive to reach a comprehensive, durable and binding peace agreement at an early date. Third, it is important to realize common security and build a lasting architecture of peace. The Ukraine crisis is essentially a major outbreak of security tensions in Europe resulting from the long standing accumulation and deterioration of security and trust deficits. Parties concerned should draw lessons from the crisis, uphold the principle of indivisible security and work toward building a balanced, effective and sustainable regional security framework so as to achieve lasting peace and stability in Europe.

President There are no winners in a war or war conflict. Military means can never bring lasting peace. An early ceasefire and a political settlement represent the only viable path forward. China will continue to uphold an objective and impartial position, remain committed to promoting peace and dialogue, maintain communication with relevant parties and work tirelessly toward a political settlement of the crisis. Thank you.


United States of America · President · Christopher Landau [1:13:10]:

I thank the representative of China for the statement. I now give the floor to the representative of Panama.


Panama [1:13:19]:

Thank you very much, Mr. President.

We are very grateful to your excellency for honoring us by presiding over this meeting. We welcome the words of mesmerizer Under Secretary General and we once again say support her firm call for an immediate ceasefire as an essential step to easing the suffering of the civilian population and advancing towards a peaceful settlement to this conflict. Further, we thank Mr. Tom Fletcher, under Secretary General for Humanitarian affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, for his detailed briefing on the situation on the ground. We recognize the presence of distinguished delegations joining us in the chamber today. Panama notes with profound concern how the current overlapping conflicts in an increasingly volatile geopolitical context is compromising the international community's ability to respond as well as the ability of this Council to respond bond and is having devastating consequences for civilians, the vast majority of whom end up bearing the brunt of the violence.

This worrisome global trend can be seen in the context of Ukraine, in which the humanitarian crisis continues to worsen apace. According to United nations reports, the increasing use of long range weapons, including missiles and drones has heightened the risk for the civilian population. And attacks on energy infrastructure have worsened the living conditions, particularly over this past winter. 2025 was the most deadly year for the civilian populations of the belligerents since the beginning of hostilities, with at least two 2,514 dead and more than 12,000 wounded. This reflects an alarming 31% rise in civilian casualties for the parties.

Year on year, more than 10 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance, while a similar figure has been displaced, including 3.7 million internally displaced and around 6 million refugees abroad.

This mass displacement is not only piling pressure on neighboring countries, it is also it also puts those who are forced to flee their homes in a position of extreme vulnerability. Resolution 2774, adopted in 2025, unequivocally expresses the will of this Council as the guarantor of international peace and security and it reaffirms the need to bring an immediate end to the war. Panama reiterates the urgent need to as a priority, resume the diplomatic efforts to bring an end to this conflict. And we reiterate our appeal for the parties involved to maintain the necessary political will for a constant and constructive dialogue which under the principles enshrined in the UN Charter leads to a definitive end to this protracted conflict. Without this political will from both sides, any effort by this Council from a practical and realistic perspective will be worthless.


President [1:17:12]:

Thank you, President, the representative of Panama for the statement. I now give the floor to the representative of Somalia.


Somalia [1:17:21]:

Thank you, Mr. President. I thank USG DiCarlo and USG Fletcher for their comprehensive briefing. As this conflict continues, my delegation remains profoundly concerned by the continued deterioration of both security and humanitarian situation in Ukraine, which have now entered a difficult chapter.

The ongoing hostilities serve only to prolong human suffering and further diminish the prospect for a sustainable peace. We are troubled by the continued escalation of military actions affecting civilian and civilian infrastructure. The protection of civilians, particularly the most vulnerable, and the preservation of schools, hospitals and homes are non negotiable obligations enshrined in international humanitarian law. Somalia reiterates that all parties must prioritize de escalation exercise utmost restraint and uphold the affirmation principles without exception. In this spirit, we welcome the significant Prince of War Exchange completed on March 6 between Ukraine and the Russian Federation.

Such humanitarian milestones serve as essential conference building measures and remind us that amidst deep division, cooperation remains possible. Mr. President, we remain convinced that there is no military solution to this protracted conflict. Dialogue and diplomacy remain the sole viable measures to bring this crisis to an end. In this regard, we note with encouragement the ongoing international diplomatic initiatives and welcome the trilateral talks led by the United States States. While the next phase of these talks, planned in March, have been postponed, we look forward to their assumption to ensure these diplomatic tracks continue their momentum toward a resolution to this conflict.

These engagements represent a vital step toward a de escalation and we hope they will lay the ground for a constructive and durable path forward. A lasting and chess resolution must address the underlying root causes of this conflict and be fully consistent with the purpose and the principles of the United nations charter. In closing, Mr. President, my delegation reaffirms its unwavering support for all diplomatic efforts aimed at achieving a resolution that restores peace, security and stability in the region. The Ukrainian people and all those affected by this conflict deserve peace, prosperity and dignity. I thank you.


United States of America · President · Christopher Landau [1:19:46]:

I thank the representative of Somalia for the statement. I now give the floor to the representative of Colombia.


Colombia [1:19:56]:

Gracias. Thank you, Mr. President. Thank you for convening this meeting. I also wish to convey my thanks to the Under Secretary General for Political and Peace building Affairs and the Under Secretary General for Humanitarian affairs and the Emergency Relief Coordinator. I thank them for their briefings and I greet the delegations joining us today.

We are facing a protracted conflict whose most devastating impact consistently and unacceptably falls on the civilian population. The result is clear and deeply distressing. Lives lost, families displaced, communities wrought apart, and entire generations living in uncertainty. Urban areas remain a scene of hostilities affecting the population and critical infrastructure that is essential to daily survival, that is Energy, water, health and transport systems. Attacks on civilian objects and infrastructure are a direct threat to life and to dignity.

Hospitals unable to operate, schools shuttered and houses without heating in the middle of winter. These are not unavoidable collateral consequences. They are unacceptable realities that Colombia categorically rejects and that must be the priority of this Council. In addition, conflict related gender based violence, including sexual violence, remains the source of profound concern. We roundly condemn all acts of this nature, irrespective of the perpetrators, and we recall that they represent a violation of international law.

We urge all parties to prevent, investigate and punish these crimes to guarantee protection for victims and survivors and ensure their access to justice and accountability.

The civilian victims of this war deserve an end to their suffering. Concrete steps are urgently needed to address their situation. We cannot allow inertia to replace responsibility. Mr. President, it is imperative for all parties to respect and ensure respect for international humanitarian law. This includes an obligation to at all times guarantee humane and decent treatment for prisoners of war, ensuring adequate detention conditions, access to medical care, contact with their families, and the absolute prohibition of torture and any form of cruel, inhumane or degrading treatment.

At the same time, it is essential to promote and strengthen channels of dialogue, ensuring that they maintain a continued predictable momentum that ensures gradual and tangible progress. In this context, Colombia encourages the parties to keep up consistent efforts, and we thank all of the mediators whose work has made it possible to advance towards peace. We call on all of the parties to step up diplomatic efforts and to persevere in their attempts to achieve a serious and very verifiable agreement under the principles of good faith and in accordance with the United Nations Charter. History has shown how, even in the most complex contexts, dialogue remains the only path to reducing suffering and forging a sustainable and just outcome. At the same time, Colombia would like to underscore the grave danger posed by any escalation around nuclear facilities.

The mere possibility of incidents in those areas entails catastrophic risks, not only for Ukraine, but also for the region and the entire world. It's essential to guarantee their security, demilitarization and adequate technical oversight. Mr. President, it's time to bring an end to this war. Every day that passes without progress towards de escalation and negotiation is one more day of suffering for thousands of civilians. Thank you very much.


United States of America · President · Christopher Landau [1:24:52]:

I thank the representative of Colombia for the statement. I now give the floor to the representative of Bahrain.


Bahrain [1:25:03]:

Thank you, Mr. President. Allow me at the outset to welcome Mr. Krestov. Christopher Landau, Deputy Secretary of State of the United States. I would also like to thank Ms. Rosemary DiCarlo, Under Secretary General for Political and Peace building Affairs, and Mr. Tom Fletcher, under Secretary General for Humanitarian affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, for their briefings to the Council today. Mr. President, armed conflicts are increasingly affecting civilians, leading to human casualties and the destruction of critical infrastructure.

This hinders the provision of basic services, including electricity, water and heating, and impacts the global economy and energy supplies. These conflicts also have a profound psychological toll on civilians.

In 2025, the Ukraine, Russia war resulted in the deaths of at least 2,500 civilians and the injury of more than 12,000 the highest figures recorded since the crisis erupted in 2022.

In this regard, we wish to address the following three points. First, the Kingdom of Bahrain emphasizes the need to respect international law, including international humanitarian law and the purposes and principles of the UN Charter. This entails respecting the sovereignty and territorial integrity of States, non interference in their internal affairs and fostering good neighborly relations in accordance with Article 2 of the charter. Second, the Kingdom of Bahrain warns against the excessive use of weapons in conflicts, endangering civilian lives and damaging vital civilian infrastructure, particularly given the sharp rise in the use of ballistic missiles and drones recently by any party and in any conflict. The OHCHR has noted a significant increase in civilian casualties resulting from short range drone attacks.

In fact, civilian losses caused by short range drones rose by 121% in 2025, resulting in the death of 580 civilians. In this context, we wish to note the continued attacks by ballistic missiles and drones launched by the Islamic Republic of Iran against my country, the Kingdom of Bahrain, as well as against the Gulf Cooperation Council states, the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan and several other countries in the region. The Security Council in its resolution 2817 of 3-11-2026 which was co sponsored by 136 states state strongly condemned these brutal attacks and called upon Iran to immediately seize them. This reflects the international solidarity with our nations in the face of the blatant Iranian aggression that endangers civilian lives and threatens regional and international peace and security. Third, the Kingdom of Bahrain underscores the importance of United States efforts to facilitate diplomatic negotiations between between Russia and Ukraine, as well as the humanitarian and political mediation role played by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and the State of Qatar.

We look forward to these negotiations yielding tangible results leading to a peaceful and durable solution to the war in Ukraine.

Diplomatic negotiations and dialogue are the only viable path towards security and peace in Europe. In this regard, the Kingdom of Bahrain appreciates all states making an effort to mediate for the sake of security, peace and stability and contributing to the de escalation of crises in an endeavor to find a diplomatic solution. In conclusion, Mr. President, it has become imperative today to support diplomatic efforts to end the war in Ukraine and establish sustainable peace while mitigating its humanitarian repercussions in line with the principles of international law, the UN Charter and Security Council Resolution 2774. Thank you, Mr. President.


United States of America · President · Christopher Landau [1:30:01]:

I thank the representative of Bahrain for the statement.

I now give the floor to the representative of Ukraine.


Ukraine [1:30:14]:

Mr. President, distinguished members of the Council, I wish to thank the US Presidency for convening this meeting and you, Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau, for chairing it. It is a powerful signal that shows the importance that the US Government attaches to Ukraine. I'm also grateful to the delegations of Denmark, Greece, Latvia, France and the United Kingdom for supporting Ukraine's request.

I'm further thankful to the distinguished briefers Under Secretary General Rosemary DiCarlo and Under Secretary General Tom Fletcher for their eye opening and powerful briefings. I have no doubt that sooner than some may expect, all the shocking facts that we just heard from the UN Secretariat will serve as evidence of war crimes and crimes against humanity which Russia has been committing during its full scale military invasion of Ukraine. We commend the indispensable work of the UN institutions in Ukraine and call upon the member States to help finance the humanitarian needs. We all heard an appeal of UN Emergency Relief Coordinator USG Fletcher. Mr. President, before I proceed with my statement, I want to briefly react to the allegations of the representative of Russia about the supposed suffering of Russian people.

Even though he escaped the chamber. Listening to all those fantasies, one might get an impression that it is Ukraine that invaded poor Russia and not vice versa.

George Orwell would turn in his grave.

As noted by usgarlo, all these baseless claims of alleged Russian victims cannot be verified. So my response to you is very simple and I would say it in Russian.

Enough moaning, enough lying. Get out. Out of Ukraine. Mr. President, we are all closely following the disturbing developments in the Middle East. Ukraine expresses its condolences to the victims of Iran's missile and drone attacks against the countries in the region and deeply deplores these treacherous strikes.

That is why Ukraine became one of the first co sponsors of the security council resolution 2817, adopted two weeks ago, condemning these attacks against the Gulf countries and Jordan. Moreover, our solidarity was not just words. In the very first days, Ukraine sent hundreds of experts who are already on the ground helping our partners in the region to counter aerial threats and intercept deadly Iranian drones. Mr. President, even though Russia did not dare to veto this resolution, what we have seen in the last weeks is that it is Moscow that has been providing substantial military support to the Tehran regime. It is Russia that is not just the principal ally of Iran, but the main accomplice and core perpetrator of unlawful attacks against civilian infrastructure of the Gulf states.

Russia has long portrayed itself as a big friend of the global south, opposing the vicious. But this narrative collapses under the weight of the real actions of Moscow helping Iran to ruin oil and gas production facilities in the region. Russia does not care about the Global South. It has actually betrayed it. The Kremlin is not just providing Tehran with intelligence support, including satellite imagery and other crucial data that facilitate targeting of US military assets across the Middle East.

There is moreover, enough evidence that Russia is now transferring modernized shahed type drones to Iran, drawing on its own production capabilities based on licensed Iranian designs. The same shahed drones that Tehran was sending to Moscow since the beginning of the war 2022 to murder Ukrainian civilians are now produced in Russia and sent back both to destroy oil and gas infrastructure as the backbone of the economy in the Gulf State and to kill American soldiers. This is an unprecedented escalation in the region that may cost countless lives. Earlier this year, Russia reportedly transferred attack helicopters to Iran in apparent violation of relevant UN arms restrictions. But the massive production of Russian drones and the provision to the Tehran regime elevates this conspiracy to a new level.

Mr. President, this axis of evil between Moscow and Tehran constitutes an enormous threat to international security. Their military cooperation is truly alarming. The United States and the international community must take this threat seriously and act before it is too late. With those Russian drones, the Tehran regime will be capable of of waging this war for a very long period, destabilizing not just the region, but the whole global economy. This means that production sites of Russian drones should be considered legitimate targets for military strikes in the campaign against the Mullah regime.

Ukraine is already contributing to the weakening of the military potential of Moscow. Tehran unholy alliance as our troops are hitting these production facilities, exercising the right of self defense, so providing Ukraine with the means for deep strikes and helping ramp up our domestic production of long range missiles would support collective efforts to bring peace to the Middle East. And my last point on Russia's hidden role in destabilizing the whole region. In reality, Russia is the primary beneficiary of the new wave of stability in the Middle East. First, it automatically diverts global attention away from its ongoing aggression against Ukraine.

Second, the massive deployment of air defence systems is already creating shortages on international markets. And third, and most critically, rising oil and gas prices are generating extraordinary windfall revenues for Russia. Estimates suggest that in March alone, Russia may earn an additional $10 billion from energy exports. That is why we call upon our allies to impose additional sanctions on Russian oil and gas to deprive Moscow of these profits that fuel not only its war against Ukraine, but also undermine global security and claim lives, including those of American servicemen. Mr. President, while the world's attention shifts, we must not allow Russia's war against Ukraine to be overshadowed and to fade into the background.

The recent conflict in Iran has revealed how intertwined this crisis is with Russia's military invasion and the Kremlin's malign imperialistic goals. There shall be no illusion. This Russian war of annihilation against Ukrainian statehood continues with relentless brutality. This winter was the deadliest for the civilian population since February 22. Over the last three months alone, Russia launched nearly 19,000 strike drones, more than 14,600 guided bombs and around 800 missiles.

Russia sought to plunge Ukraine into total blackout, to fully destroy our critical infrastructure and break the resistance of our people. But even though the suffering of civilians and the level of devastation are huge, Russia has failed to achieve this perfidious goal. According to recent polls, Ukrainians do not even consider giving up. I will translate it into Russian language again, Mr. President. What we are witnessing is a carefully staged performance that Russia continues to play.

On the one hand, the war situation for the Kremlin is increasingly bleak on the battlefield, and yet Moscow keeps on puffing up its greatness, pretending to be invincible and projecting the image of being one step away from total victory and Ukraine's supposed capitulation. As the Institute for the State of Study of War, an independent think tank, rightly pointed out a few days ago, Putin's negotiating position is based on a bluff and a lie. The bluff is that the Russians will overwhelm Ukraine and take what they want anyway. And the lie is that Mr. Putin will be satisfied with less than what he continually demands, namely a de facto surrender of Ukraine. This Russian claim of inevitability of its triumph is a myth.

And I will briefly explain why Russia has failed to achieve any of the goals of its full scale military invasion. We are dealing with with the longest three day blitzkrieg in human history, dragging on for over four years. Now let us take a closer look at the situation on the front line. Russian forces occupy now 19.4% of Ukrainian territory. They had taken about 7% during the first phase of the war back in 2014, and came to occupy a total of 26.8% shortly after the full scale invasion began in 22.

Subsequent Ukrainian counteroffensives left the Russians holding only about 17.9% of Ukrainian soil in November 22. So since then, since autumn 22, Russia has seized only 1.5% more Ukrainian land while suffering over 1.2 million casualties in total. Just think about it for a moment. Russian troops, the self proclaimed second army in the world, have needed three and a half years to occupy 9,300 square kilometers, an area three times the size of Rhode Island. Putin, allegedly inexorable march to victory, has been proceeding more slowly than a turtle's pace.

And at the current speed, at the current speed, it would take 183 years to occupy the whole territory of Ukraine. I repeat, Russia will need 183 years. It doesn't really sound like a successful brisk week for Moscow, does it? That is exactly the reason why Putin demands that Ukraine abandon without a fight territories in the Donetsk region that Moscow have failed to occupy over 12 years of its aggression. But by turning such ultimatums into preconditions for negotiations, as we have seen, Russia is deliberately obstructing the peace process.

That is one of the biggest stumbling blocks on the way to a peaceful resolution. Russia has simultaneously invented other unresolvable dilemmas, both demanding that Ukraine hold elections as a condition for a final peace settlement, while refusing at the same time to cease fire, which is needed for such elections. Russia must stop playing these games. We call upon the United States as a mediator, as the only mediator to make clear to the Russians that these tricks are doomed to fail. By the way, in the last months, Ukrainian troops have broken the dynamics of war and begun to push Russian forces back.

In February alone, the Ukrainian army liberated a territory the combined size of Queens and Brooklyn, in Zaporizhzhia, in Dnipropetrovsk regions. So from the military point of view, Russia is not winning the war. And it is an obvious fact the second reason why Putin is failing in Ukraine is because of the deteriorating economic situation in Russia that I described in detail when I was honored to speak before this council last time in January. This Monday, even Putin himself, with a visibly subdued expression, acknowledged the grave state of Russia's economy. Just watch this video to see his long face.

It is priceless. Zero growth, zero reserves, increasing budget deficit and many other factors make more and more difficult for Russia to finance the war against Ukraine and pay the salary to its soldiers. The war in Iran and growing prices for oil and gas can, however, become a saving grace and a new lifeline for the Russian war machinery. Putin will be clutching at straws, trying to use this chaos in the Middle east as a game changer. We cannot allow it to happen.

Thus, we appeal to our friends, to our allies, to the United States to reintroduce sanctions against Russian energy resources as soon as possible and tighten this cruise on Moscow. We also call upon other member states who used to be the biggest buyers of Russian oil and gas, and Diesel to stop exporting them and stop filling Kremlin's war chest and bankrolling its aggression. Mr. President, the only domain in which Russia is regrettably succeeding is in inflicting suffering to the Ukrainian people. Every day, civilians are murdered both in areas near the front lines and deep within Ukraine as a result of daily drone and missile attacks. We have just heard the shocking figures of the numbers of victims during the briefing of U.S. gD Carlo.

I will not repeat them. They still echo in our ears. The medial year brutality that we see as Russia wages this war against Ukraine must be stopped. Mr. President, irrespective of all Russian tricks, abusing diplomacy as a tool of delay aimed at gambling on reduced international support for Kyiv, we remain fully committed to the restoration of peace. Ukraine never was and will never be an obstacle to comprehensive, just and lasting peace.

We will spare no efforts to continue negotiations under the US leadership towards this goal. Mr. President, before I wrap up, allow me to address one final point. At our previous meeting, the representative of Russia once again recycled a familiar narrative about an alleged historical unity between Ukrainians and Russians. He even muttered something about Kyivan Rus under his breath that we Ukrainians had sold for 30 pieces of silver. Let me set the historical record straight once and for all.

In the Beginning of the 12th century, Kyiv was the capital of the largest and one of the most powerful states in medieval Europe. In those times, the area of present day Moscow was nothing more than a swamp where only frogs were croaking. It was in 1147 that a tiny settlement on the edge of the known political world was first mentioned that later would develop into Moscow. And it was under the powerful reign of the Grand Princess of Kyiv that Moscow was founded. And then it was Andrey Boholupsky, the ruler of Vladimir Suzdal, today's Russia, whose troops plundered kyiv back in 1169, murdered its citizens, and looted the city's treasures with a ferocity which is reminiscent of the barbarian sackings of ancient Rome.

So let us be honest. It was Moscow that betrayed Kyiv. It is Moscow that continues the same brutal policy to this day. Bombing Kyiv, destroying our Golden Dome churches, raping and killing civilians. So

I would like to address our Russian colleagues. Ukrainians do not need your distorted historical lessons about imagined unity. It's like they are lecturing the chicken at the cradle of the Ukrainian statehood. Kyiv had stood firm for more than a thousand years, and it will stand for a thousand more. It will flourish.

It will be unconquered, and Russia will fail to subjugate it. So let me address you again in your own language that serves as a reminder of Russian colonial legacy.

The carnival is over. The candles are out. Take your trench coats and get out of Ukraine. Thank you.


President [1:46:37]:

I thank the representative of Ukraine for the statement.

I now give the floor to the representative of Estonia.


Estonia · free Baltic States [1:46:46]:

President, I'm making this statement on behalf of the free Baltic States. And let me start by thanking the briefers USG DeCarlo and USG Fletcher for their valuable inputs to this timely Security Council briefing today.

Just last month we marked the fourth anniversary of Russia's full scale aggression. However, Russia's war against Ukraine did not begin then. This month marks 12 years since the illegal annexation of Crimea by the Russian Federation following an illegal and illegitimate so called referendum as well as the start of Russia's armed aggression in Eastern Ukraine. More than 12 years ago, Russia's killing of innocent Ukrainian civilians began unlawfully and indiscriminately. Since then it has not stopped.

According to the United nations, more than 15,000 civilians have been killed and over 41,000 injured in Ukraine since the start of Russia's full scale invasion. The truth toll is undoubtedly higher, including victims since March 2014, the full extent of which remains unclear. Russia's killings continues. These attacks target civilians and civilian infrastructure and they are clear violation of international humanitarian law and cannot be justified or explained under any circumstances.

This killing has come at a significant cost for Russia. According to publicly available sources, Russia's battlefield losses are estimated at approximately 1,315,000 soldiers since the start of its full scale invasion in 2022, including both killed and seriously wounded. Even these figures likely underestimate the true staggering scale of Russia's losses. However, Russia has not lost all only soldiers and military equipment. It has also lost credibility, honor and international standing.

Russia's aggression is totally incompatible not only with the status and responsibilities of a permanent member of a Security Council, but also with those of any United Nations Member States. Its full scale aggression against Ukraine constitutes one of the most serious violations of United Nations Charter and international law. Amounting to the crime of aggression and accompanied by widespread war crimes, it represents the gravest threat to European and global security since the Second World War. We call on all states to support and join the initiative to establish a special tribunal on the crime of aggression as a necessary step to reinforce the international law based multilateral system and ensure that impunity does not prevail. Less than two weeks ago, the independent International Commission of Inquiry on Ukraine established by the United Nations Human Rights Council published a deeply disturbing report concluding that the systematic deportation and transfer of Ukrainian children by Russian authorities may amount to crimes against humanity.

The continuation of this war depends solely on Russia's choices. It can cease its military actions immediately and engage in genuine, good, safe negotiations focused on the full withdrawal of Russian forces from Ukraine, compensation for the damage caused and accountability for those responsible, rather than the insincere processes we have seen for far too long. President we must collectively apply maximum pressure on Russia to end its aggression and engage in a just and lasting peace. This must be grounded in the UN Charter and international law, including the principles of sovereignty and territorial integrity. We reaffirm our unwavering support for Ukraine within its internationally recognized borders.

The occupation of any part of Ukraine will never be recognized by the international community. The Baltic states stand firmly with Ukraine because defending Ukraine means defending the ironclad principles of the UN Charter, including sovereign equality of states as well as the respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity of all member states. I thank you.


President [1:51:29]:

I thank the representative of Estonia for the state. I now give the floor To His Excellency Mr. Stavros Lambrinidis, head of the delegation of the European Union to the United Nations.


EU · Head of Delegation · Stavros Lambrinidis [1:51:45]:

Allow me to begin by thanking you, Mr. President, and the US presidency for convening this meeting. And also warm thanks to Under Secretary Generals DiCarlo and Fletcher for their important, even if chilling, updates. Russia's disastrous war of aggression has now entered its fifth year. Almost 1,500 days have passed in which Russia has subjected Ukraine and its citizens to a brutal aggression, a violation of the UN Charter, which has repeatedly been condemned by the UN General Assembly. But Russia's statement in this chamber continue to blame others and to float incredible, often self contradictory justifications for the unjustifiable colleagues.

We're ready to hear about the toll of this war on Russians themselves. Russia's leaders would certainly not want their citizens to know. Its forces have reportedly suffered approximately 1.2 million casualties since 2022, with as many as 325,000 killed. What a staggering. What a staggering lack of respect for human life.

And yet it has not achieved its military objectives and struggles to hold the territory it has captured. And frustrated by its lack of progress on the battleground, Russia continues to deliberately target Ukrainian civilians. That's an easier target, isn't it? Their energy, their heating, their water, their hospitals, their schools, their residences, their lives. In February alone, Russia targeted Ukrainian cities with almost 300 missiles and over 5,000 drones.

The highest numbers, I stress, since it started a systematic campaign against Ukrainian civilians four years ago. The OHR has verified at least 188 civilian deaths in February as a result of Russia's attacks, adding to the over 15,000 verified civilian deaths Russia is responsible for. Without the successful interception rate of Ukrainian air defenses, civilian casualties would have been even higher. Intentionally attacking civilians and civilian object is a war crime. As if anyone needed to remind this in this chamber.

And perpetrators will face justice and will be held accountable. We commend the resilience of the Ukrainian people to stand firm in defense of their country and stand up for the UN Charter colleagues. According to unicef, over a third of Ukrainian children remain displaced as a result of Russia's aggression. I recall the decision of the General assembly last December to redouble efforts to return Ukrainian children who have been unlawfully deported and forcibly transferred to Russia. And we look forward to hearing from the UN about its efforts to this end.

For those still in doubt. For those still in doubt about whether this is important, I refer to the comprehensive new report by the independent International Commission of Inquiry that presents further damning evidence of Russia's obstruction of the return of Ukrainian children. The Commission concludes that Russia's actions amount to crimes against humanity and war crimes. The Commission concludes that we are also deeply alarmed by its findings that nationals from Africa, the Middle east and Southeast Asia are recruited by Russia to fight in Ukraine, often lured by false pretenses. Colleagues.

In coordination with our allies, the European Union will continue to provide comprehensive political, financial, economic, humanitarian, military and diplomatic support to Ukraine and its people in line with their inherent right to self defense, according to Article 51 of the UN Charter. At the same time, the European Union continues to focus on achieving an immediate full and unconditional ceasefire and a just, lasting and comprehensive peace in line with international law, including the UN Charter. The General assembly has spoken out very clearly in this regard very recently. In this regard, the EU will sustain its diplomatic efforts with Ukraine, together with the United States and other partners from its side. Ukraine has repeatedly stated its readiness for an immediate ceasefire.

Meanwhile, Russia continues to pursue its maximalist tactics and claims. We call on all members of this Council to join us in urging Russia, indeed in supplying sustained diplomatic pressure on Russia, to stop pretending and to engage in meaningful negotiations. Third, countries that enable Russia's aggression must also stop doing so. Iran, Belarus, the DPRK must halt the military support and all countries must, including members of this Council, must seize any and all direct and indirect assistance to Russia. We welcome Ukraine's readiness to provide support and expertise in air defense and counter drone systems to Gulf countries.

This is based, of course, on Its own experience of being systematically subjected to Russian attacks by Iranian shahed drones. President in conclusion, I reiterate the European Union's support to Ukraine's independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity within its internationally recognized borders. No country, no country can annex its neighbor. No borders can be changed by force. It is time for Russia to stop the killing and engage in meaningful talks in order to achieve a just and lasting peace.

Enough is enough. Thank you.


President [1:58:14]:

I thank His Excellency Mr. Lambertis for the statement. I now give the floor to the representative of Finland.


Finland · Nordic Group [1:58:23]:

Thank you, Mr. President. And I would like to join the others in thanking Under Secretary General DiCarlo and Under Secretary General Fletcher for their very important briefings. Today I have the honor to address the Council on behalf of the Nordic countries, Denmark, Iceland, Norway, Sweden and my own country, Finland. Russia's full scale aggression against Ukraine is continuing for the fifth year with the publicly and openly declared intention to grab territory from an independent neighboring country and annex it for good. The war has resulted in over 15,000 civilian deaths, not to mention the total human toll and economic and environmental costs of the invasion, some of them global.

All this destruction caused by unlawful invasion, as pointless as it was over four years ago. The Nordic countries have stated this before and I reiterate, the Russian Federation could end this war today simply by calling its troops home. We regret that the political will to stop the aggression is still lacking after more than four years. Mr. President, despite this grim backdrop, there is ground for hope. First, Russia's war of aggression is not progressing according to the aggressor's plans.

What was initially portrayed as a three day operation has now lasted for over four years. Russia has lost a staggering amount of both personnel and military material. At the same time, the Ukrainian resilience has remained remarkable. The invading Russian troops have been stalled, even pushed back in some parts of the front line. It is obvious that Russia is failing to meet its objectives on the battleground.

Second, there have been several serious initiatives to promote peace. These discussions need to continue and gain momentum. The Nordic countries appreciate all the good efforts made by the United States and others in this regard. Regrettably, we are yet to see the Russian Federation engage in a genuine and meaningful manner. Third, significant progress has been made to establish a robust accountability for framework.

International courts and tribunals are playing a substantial role with ICC investigations and ICJ proceedings moving forward. The Nordic countries are committed to the ongoing work of the Register of Damage for Ukraine and stand firmly behind the establishment of the Claims Commission and the Special Tribunal for the Crime of Aggression against Ukraine Fourth spring is coming. Ukrainians have made it through another gruesome winter, battling the bitter freezing cold that is caused by Russia's attacks against energy infrastructure. Intentional attacks against civilian infrastructure, including energy facilities, amount to war crimes. A clear objective behind Russia's unlawful means and methods of warfare is to overcome Ukraine's civilian resilience.

Yet again, Ukraine has prevailed. Furthermore, Ukraine's international partners are there to support it in preparing also for the next winter. Russia, as one of the five permanent members of this Council, has a particular responsibility to uphold the UN Charter and its core principles of territorial integrity, sovereignty and political independence. Instead, Russia continues to blatantly violate the UN Charter and its core principles. In closing, Mr. President, the Nordic countries reiterate our unwavering support for Ukraine and for a just, lasting and comprehensive peace in line with international law, including the United Nations Charter.


President [2:02:31]:

I thank you. I thank the representative of Finland for the statement and now give the floor to the representative of Poland.


Poland [2:02:41]:

Mr. President, at the outset, I thank the United States of America and you personally for convening this meeting and the briefers, the US GD Carlo and Tom Fletcher, for their informative interventions. Mr. President, the brave Ukrainian society endured a very harsh winter while Russia fiercely attacked civilians and the critical infrastructure. The humanitarian situation, although remains critical, as we heard, during the most freezing temperatures, the Polish authorities and the NGOs sent hundreds of power generators to Kyiv and other cities to alleviate this huge humanitarian crisis.

This is our concrete effort you ask for, alongside with hosting more than 1 million of the Ukrainian refugees in Poland, to buy peace, to bring peace to this war. Because there will be no peace unless the Ukraine and Ukrainians will survive and will be safe from this aggression because there's only one aggressor and one victim. While global attention has partially shifted due to the crisis in the Middle east, the intensity of Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine has not diminished. We are aware that Russia is attempting to exploit the situation and to advance its own agenda. The drones currently striking the Gulf countries are very much the same as the one that's supplied by Iran to Russia and vice versa for use on its aggression against Ukraine.

States of both regions should clearly see that and that Russia and Iran share a strategy characterized by aggressive stance and unprovoked indiscriminate attacks against their neighbors, including strikes targeting residential areas and civilian infrastructure. Their conduct deserves the condemnation of the international community. Mr. President, in Ukraine, with improving weather conditions, further escalation along the front line can be expected. Drones and missiles continue to target civilian infrastructure as Part of the Russia's war of attrition. And Moscow does not stop there.

Poland has observed a campaign organized by Russia to recruit individuals from Africa who are subsequently deployed to the front lines against Ukraine. In many cases, these individuals are unaware that they will be participating directly into hostilities. Russia is exploiting vulnerable populations from different regions around the world, often taking advantage of their difficult economic conditions by offering deceptive employment opportunities. These people and their families are becoming victims of Moscow's policy, which is an example of the worst neo colonial practices. Mr. President, recalling the historic session of this council chaired by the US first lady and devoted to the crisis facing children in war zones, we wish to condemn the grave violations of the children's rights caused by Russia's aggression.

Hundreds of children have been killed, thousands injured and many forcibly displaced, often separated from their families. Repeated disruptions to education are having long term consequences for an entire generation. Particularly alarming are the unful transfer and deportation of Ukrainian children, which we firmly condemn and call to be immediately Revised and reversed. Mr. President, Poland supports peace efforts. However, it must be noted that while Ukraine has demonstrated readiness to pursue diplomatic solutions, Russia has shown no credible willingness to engage in meaningful negotiations and continues to escalate hostilities.

Therefore, we must remain united in providing comprehensive support to Ukraine, including military and financial assistance, while increasing pressure on Russia. We call for further means targeting Russia's war economy and for additional measures to restrict the shadow fleet which provides critical revenue to the Russian budget. Mr. President, to conclude, to break the Russian pattern of aggression, we need to ensure full accountability for all violations of international law committed in Ukraine. Those responsible must be brought to justice and impunity cannot be allowed to prevail. We need unity within the international community, including with this concert in upholding the principles of the UN Charter.

Any path to peace must be based on a full respect for the sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity of Ukraine within these internationally recognized borders. Poland reaffirms its unwavering support for Ukraine and its people. We call for sustained international support and safe, unimpeded humanitarian access to all those in need. We will stand in solidarity with Ukraine. As you know, Solidarity means a lot to polls.

Thank you.


United States of America · President · Christopher Landau [2:06:56]:

I thank the representative of Poland for the statement. There are no more names inscribed on the list of speakers.

The meeting is adjourned.