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President,

I have the honour to speak on behalf of the European Union and its Member States.

The Candidate Countries North Macedonia^*, Montenegro^*, Albania^*, Ukraine, the Republic of Moldova and Bosnia and Herzegovina^*, the potential candidate country Georgia, as well as Andorra, Monaco and San Marino align themselves with this statement.

I thank the Ecuadorian presidency for the opportunity to address the Council. I also thank the briefer(s) and through them all UN staff working tirelessly in Ukraine to the benefit of its population in these trying times.

President,

At the outset I once again want to reiterate the EU’s resolute condemnation of Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, which constitutes a manifest violation of the UN Charter. I also reaffirm our unwavering support for Ukraine’s independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity within its internationally recognised borders as well as its inherent right of self-defence.

I wish to make two points: (1) Russia’s targeting of Ukrainian critical infrastructure is unacceptable must stop; and (2) the EU is fully engaged in efforts to alleviate the humanitarian consequences of Russia’s aggression.

[Russia’s targeting of Ukrainian critical infrastructure]

The Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights has confirmed that to date, more than 10.000 civilians have been killed, and more than 18.500 injured, since Russia launched its full-scale invasion. Ukraine has reported 365 educational institutions were destroyed with a further 3.428 damaged. Two weeks ago in this Chamber, the UN provided an extensive list of Russian aerial attacks across Ukraine and warned that attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructure may escalate further during the upcoming winter with dire impacts for millions of Ukrainians. How did Russia respond? On Holodomor Remembrance Day (25/11), it launched its most extensive drone attack on Kyiv yet and it has stepped up attacks on Ukraine’s energy grid again, while temperatures drop below zero degrees.

Russia’s ongoing systematic air strikes against civilian objects and critical infrastructure in Ukraine are unacceptable and must stop. Such intentional attacks against civilians and civilian infrastructure add to the growing evidence of war crimes, as reported by the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Ukraine. Russia and its leadership must be held fully accountable for waging a war of aggression against Ukraine and other most serious crimes under international law.

President,

[EU efforts to alleviate the humanitarian consequences of Russia’s aggression]

EU Member States have provided temporary protection to 4 million Ukrainian refugees, fleeing Russia’s aggression. In the face of continued Russian attacks, we are intensifying the provision of humanitarian and civil protection assistance to Ukraine, including equipment such as power generators, power transformers, mobile heating stations, and high-voltage and lighting equipment, to help Ukraine and its people face yet another winter at war.

11.1 million people are food insecure in Ukraine, according to the 2023 UN Humanitarian Response Plan. This is a country that before Russia’s aggression was the world’s breadbasket, producing food for over 400 million people. We strongly condemn the destruction and illegal appropriation by Russia of agricultural production in Ukraine. In response, the EU has stepped up its aid, providing €785 million in support to those most vulnerable in Ukraine, especially in hard-to-reach areas. This allows our humanitarian partners to provide essential services such as cash assistance, food, water, shelter, healthcare, Education in Emergencies, psychosocial support and protection. Humanitarian access remains critical, and we call on Russia to ensure safe and unimpeded humanitarian access to all areas under its temporary military control. We commend the brave efforts by humanitarian organizations and their personnel to deliver assistance, despite a hostile environment.

Ukraine is today the most heavily mined country in the world. The contamination of landmines and remnants of war left behind by Russia’s armed forces not only poses a serious obstacle to relief and aid delivery efforts, but also a serious threat to the lives of civilians, in particular children.

The humanitarian consequences of Russia’s aggression are not limited to Ukraine. Russia’s deliberate attacks on Ukraine’s grain storage and export facilities, as well as its actions to hinder the freedom of navigation in the Black Sea, show it continues to weaponise food and deliberately undermines global food security. I stress the importance of security, stability and freedom of navigation in the Black Sea, which is vital for sustainable food exports.

The EU supports all efforts, including those of the UN, to facilitate exports of Ukraine’s grain and other agricultural products to the countries most in need, notably in Africa and the Middle East. We note the increasing use of the Black Sea corridor managed by the Ukrainian authorities which has allowed the export of 5 million tonnes of agricultural products since it was set up in August. The EU welcomes the extension on 25 November of the ‘Grain from Ukraine’ initiative to which the European Commission will contribute by providing 50 million EUR to repair Ukraine’s port infrastructure. We are also enhancing the capacity of the EU’s Solidarity Lanes to facilitate transit and export via land and maritime routes to world markets, which have enabled the export of more than 57 million tonnes of Ukrainian agricultural products so far. In addition, the EU will continue to deliver on its ambitious response to address global food insecurity.

President,

In closing, I emphasize that the EU will continue to provide strong financial, economic, humanitarian, military and diplomatic support to Ukraine and its people for as long as it takes. We will continue our intensified diplomatic outreach efforts and cooperation with Ukraine and other countries to ensure the widest possible international support for a comprehensive, just and lasting peace and the key principles and objectives of Ukraine’s Peace Formula.

I thank you.

* North Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia, Albania and Bosnia and Herzegovina continue to be part of the Stabilisation and Association Process.