OSCE Permanent Council 1428 Vienna, 8 June 2023

1. Mr Chair, during last week’s Permanent Council meeting, several delegations, including ours, condemned Russia’s abhorrent attempts to terrorise Ukrainians in order to break their admirable resolve to defend their homeland, its independence, sovereignty, and territorial integrity. These heinous acts persist on a daily basis. In addition to Kyiv, which has been indiscriminately targeted by Russian aerial attacks on an almost daily basis in the last weeks, another Ukrainian city heavily affected by Russia’s aggression is Dnipro and its surrounding region. Just this past weekend, a Russian missile struck and completely destroyed two residential buildings in Pidhorodne, a suburb of Dnipro, killing a two year-old child and injuring 25 civilians, including five children.
2. Russia’s attacks against Ukrainian critical civilian infrastructure reached an unprecedented level on 6 June with the destruction of the dam at Kakhovka Hydroelectric Power Plant (HPP). We condemn this attack in the strongest possible terms. The downstream flooding is putting at risk the lives of hundreds of thousands of civilians in around 80 settlements, including the city of Kherson. It aggravates the already dire humanitarian situation in those areas. Dropping water levels of the dam also affect access to critical cooling water for the reactors of the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, putting at serious risk its safety and security systems. We remain in touch with Ukrainian authorities to ensure the EU’s immediate assistance.
3. On 4 June, the International Day of Innocent Children Victims of Aggression, the body of a young Ukrainian girl was recovered from the rubble in Pidhorodne, Dnipro. Russia’s indiscriminate attacks claimed this innocent Ukrainian child's life and caused injuries to five others, three of whom are currently in critical condition. Words cannot adequately express our revulsion at these actions. We condemn them in the strongest possible terms. Those responsible for war crimes and other most serious international crimes committed in connection with Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine and its people, including the crime of aggression, will not evade accountability.
4. Since the beginning of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Ukrainian children have been forcibly separated from their families, interrogated in so-called "filtration camps," held hostage in detention facilities, where, in some cases, they have even been subjected to torture. They have been forcibly transferred within parts of Ukraine's territory temporarily occupied by Russia, or deported to Russia. Today, they face forced "re-education" and are coerced into wearing Russian military uniforms with the letters "V" and "Z" on them. Extensive efforts are being made to culturally and linguistically assimilate them. Many of these actions, which flagrantly violate international humanitarian law, have been documented in the most recent Moscow Mechanism report and the 24th March 2023 OHCHR report on the human rights situation in Ukraine. We demand that Russia immediately ceases this abhorrent behaviour. We also encourage the OSCE executive structures and ODIHR to consider implementing more child-focused projects under the Support Programme for Ukraine, in order to assist Ukrainian children affected by Russia's war.
5. On 5 June, the international community came together to observe World Environment Day. In many of our cities, various initiatives were undertaken to address pollution and promote green and sustainable economies. However, amidst our efforts to create cleaner environments, we must not overlook the devastating impact of Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine on the country’s nature, biodiversity and ecosystems. The destruction of the Kakhova HPP dam has already resulted in alarming consequences in this regard. The OSCE can provide Ukraine with practical support in the environmental dimension as well.
6. Together with our international partners, we will continue to stand with Ukraine and its people for as long as it takes for Ukraine to rightfully defend itself against Russia’s illegal, unjustified, unprovoked and brutal war of aggression and restore Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity within its internationally recognised borders. To that end, we will continue to provide Ukraine with long-term political, financial, economic, humanitarian, legal and military support.
7. We thank the Republic of Moldova for successfully hosting the 2^nd Summit of the European Political Community in Chisinau on 1^st June. The Chisinau Summit served as a significant and timely occasion to demonstrate our unity and solidarity with Ukraine and the countries of the region. It also highlighted the remarkable efforts by the authorities of the Republic of Moldova in hosting more than 100 thousand Ukrainians fleeing from Russia's war of aggression and reminded the world of how Russia’s war is affecting the security situation in the wider region. The EU demonstrated strong support for the Republic of Moldova through the opening of the new EU Partnership Mission in the country, designed to enhance the country's resilience to hybrid threats, as well as through the delivery of the first equipment under the European Peace Facility, further emphasising the EU's commitment to promoting peace and stability in the region. Restrictive measures on five Moldovan individuals were also announced under the newly established EU sanctions regime which targets individuals responsible for actions aimed at destabilising, undermining, or threatening the sovereignty and independence of the Republic of Moldova. The EU reiterates its unwavering support to the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Republic of Moldova within its internationally recognised borders.
8. The EU reaffirms its support for President Zelenskyy’s initiative for a just peace, and we will continue working with Ukraine on the 10-point peace plan. We emphasise once again that any diplomatic solution to end Russia’s illegal war of aggression must be based on full respect for the rules, principles and norms of international law, including those enshrined in the UN Charter, and the founding documents of the OSCE, including the Helsinki Final Act, and the Paris Charter. We stand with Ukraine, the victim of Russia’s unprovoked war of aggression.
9. The EU reiterates its unwavering support for Ukraine’s independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity within its internationally recognised borders. We demand that Russia ceases its illegal war of aggression against Ukraine and immediately withdraws all its military forces, proxies, and equipment, unconditionally and entirely, from the whole territory of Ukraine.
10. We also call on the Belarusian authorities to put an immediate end to their support of Russia's war, and reverse decisions that can only contribute to heightening tensions in the region, and undermine Belarus’ sovereignty.

The Candidate Countries NORTH MACEDONIA*, MONTENEGRO*, ALBANIA*, UKRAINE, the REPUBLIC OF MOLDOVA, and BOSNIA and HERZEGOVINA*, the Potential Candidate Country GEORGIA, and the EFTA country LIECHTENSTEIN, member of the European Economic Area, as well as ANDORRA, MONACO and SAN MARINO align themselves with this statement.

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