- As delivered -

Thank you very much Madam President,

Colleagues, 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 and San Marino align themselves with this statement.

First I wanted to thank USG DiCarlo for her briefing and I wanted to take this opportunity to commend the entire UN team on the ground, led by Resident Coordinator Denise Brown, for the invaluable assistance you are providing to the people of Ukraine in these very difficulty times. We know the UN system is fully mobilized, through humanitarian relief, support to refugees and internally displaced persons, human rights monitoring, mine action, nuclear safety, addressing the dire global consequences of Russia’s aggression , and much more besides and you have our strong support.

Madam President,

As Russia’s unprovoked and unjustified war of aggression approaches the tragic mark of 500 days, the people of Ukraine, and the international community, desire a comprehensive, just and lasting peace in Ukraine in line with the UN Charter and the resolutions of the General Assembly. Yet, one country – the aggressor – remains steadfast in pursuing its brutal war against a neighbouring country and its people. When African heads of state visited Kyiv last week calling for peace, Russia responded by bombing the city, as it did when the UN Secretary-General visited last year. The way to end Russia’s assault on Ukraine is crystal clear: Russia must stop its war and immediately, completely and unconditionally withdraw all of its forces and proxies from the entire territory of Ukraine within its internationally recognised borders. 

I will emphasise briefly three points in my intervention, 1) the dramatic human rights situation in the territories temporarily occupied by Russia; 2) the importance of upholding international humanitarian law; and 3) the need for accountability.

Madam President,

The human rights situation in the occupied territories is of grave concern. International monitoring mechanisms, including the Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine and the UN Commission of Inquiry, have concluded that Russian authorities have committed a wide range of violations of international humanitarian law and international human rights law in Ukraine. The reported violations include indiscriminate attacks against civilians and civilian infrastructure, a widespread and systematic pattern of summary executions, torture and ill-treatment and unlawful confinement, as well as inhumane detention conditions, rape and other forms of sexual and gender based violence and forced transfer and deportation, including of children. Many of these amount to war crimes. The last report of the Commission of Inquiry also concludes that the attacks on Ukraine’s energy-related infrastructure and the use of torture by Russian authorities may amount to crimes against humanity.

We call on Russia to uphold international human rights law. Its practice of forcibly issuing Russian passports to Ukrainian citizens is in blatant violation of international law and undermines Ukraine’s sovereignty. The ICRC should be granted full and unconditional access to all detained persons. And all illegally detained Ukrainian citizens by Russia should be released. The decision by the Russian Central Election Commission to hold so-called ‘elections’ in the temporarily military occupied territories of Ukraine is yet another violation of international law and, by the way, the October GA resolution adopted by the United Nations on Ukraine’s territorial integrity. 

Secondly, we reiterate the importance of upholding international humanitarian law. We are appalled by reports that evacuation teams rescuing civilians following the destruction of the Kakhovka Hydroelectric Power Plant dam are being shelled. We urge the Russian Federation to cease such attacks and allow help to the affected civilian population, including in areas under Russian military control. The EU condemns the attack at the Kakhovka HPP in the strongest possible terms. It is a direct consequence of Russia’s aggression against Ukraine. The downstream flooding has not only put tens of thousands of civilian lives in danger, but it is also affecting water and energy supplies and causing an ecological and environmental catastrophe. As repeatedly requested by the United Nations, we urge Russia to enable safe, rapid and unhindered humanitarian access to populations in need of assistance, in particular into the temporarily occupied territories. Aid cannot be denied to those in need. The impact of Russia’s aggression on children is particularly horrific and we look forward to the imminent publication of the Secretary General’s report on children and armed conflict.

Third, the EU is firmly committed to ensuring full accountability for war crimes and the other most serious crimes committed in connection with Russia’s war of aggression. We emphasize the importance of coordinated accountability initaitives to combat impunity and ensure justice. We support the ongoing work for the establishment of a tribunal for the prosecution of the crime of aggression, which is of concern to the international community as a whole. The EU welcome the establishment of the International Centre for the Prosecution of the Crime of Aggression at Eurojust in The Hague. We are also fully supportive of the establishment of an international mechanism to register the damages Russia has inflicted. Following the UNGA resolution of November 2022 which acknowledged the need for a register of damage, and the Reykjavik Summit recently of the Council of Europe, the register now was established. We underline our support for the investigations of the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court.

Madam President,

The EU calls for a just, comprehensive and lasting peace in line with the UN Charter and the GA resolution adopted in February and in respect of Ukraine’s independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity within its internationally recognised borders. A peace that will benefit all nations, as the Ukraine ambassador just said. We welcome international efforts to this effect and we reaffirm our support to President Zelenskyy’s Peace Formula.

Security Council members must distinguish between the victim and the aggressor in this war of aggression. Under the UN Charter, Ukraine has the right to self-defence against Russia’s attacks in order to restore its territorial integrity. It also has the right to request international support for such efforts. The EU is committed to support Ukraine in this regard for as long as it takes.

I thank you very much Madam President.

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