Conference on Disarmament - EU Statement

Madam President,

I have the honour to speak on behalf of the European Union.

The Candidate Countries Turkey, the Republic of North Macedonia*, Montenegro*, and Albania*, the country of the Stabilisation and Association Process and potential candidate Bosnia and Herzegovina, the EFTA country Norway, member of the European Economic Area, as well as Ukraine, the Republic of Moldova and Georgia align themselves with this statement.

Let me start by congratulating you on assuming the Presidency of the Conference on Disarmament and assure you of our full support.

Following on the High Level Segment of the Conference on Disarmament, today’s plenary meeting opens in the context of one of the darkest hours for Europe since World War Il. The European Union condemns in the strongest possible terms the Russian Federation’s unprovoked and unjustified military aggression against Ukraine. By its illegal military actions and threats, Russia is grossly violating international law and the principles of the UN Charter and undermining European and global security and stability. Russia bears full responsibility for this act of aggression and all the destruction and loss of life it will cause. It will be held accountable for its actions. The EU remains strongly committed to the fight against impunity for atrocity crimes.

We also strongly condemn the involvement of Belarus in this aggression against Ukraine and call on it to refrain from such action and to abide by its international obligations, including under the NPT. The deletion of the reference in Article 18 to Belarus’s non-nuclear status is another worrying development, which adds to unacceptable attempts to re-define the European security architecture.

Russia's military attack against Ukraine - an independent, sovereign and non-nuclear weapon State - is a flagrant violation of international law and the core principles on which the international rules-based order is built.

As widely known, Ukraine acceded to the NPT as a non-nuclear weapon State in 1994 having returned Soviet-era nuclear weapons and having received security guarantees. In the Budapest Memorandum, Russia explicitly committed to “respecting the independence and sovereignty and the existing borders of Ukraine” and to “refraining from the threat or use of force” against the country. With its military invasion in Ukraine, Russia continues to blatantly violate the Budapest Memorandum to the detriment of the NPT regime. The Russian Federation must guarantee unequivocal security assurances as part of binding and agreed security arrangements. The loss of credibility of a nuclear weapon state on security assurances seriously undermines the NPT regime and the entire disarmament and non-proliferation architecture.

The European Union demands that Russia immediately ceases its military actions, unconditionally withdraws all forces and military equipment from the entire territory of Ukraine and fully respects Ukraine’s territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence within its internationally recognised borders. The European Union calls on Russia and Russia-backed armed formations to respect international humanitarian law and stop their disinformation campaign and cyber-attacks.

Madam President,

Moreover, the EU strongly urges the Russian Federation to immediately cease its attacks, including its indiscriminate and disproportionate use of explosive weapons in densely populated areas. Indiscriminate attacks directed against civilians and civilian objects, including the recurrence of attacks against medical facilities, schools, electricity and water plants and all other civilian infrastructure, are completely unacceptable and a violation of International Humanitarian Law. We recall that international law, in particular International Humanitarian Law, fully applies to the employment of all weapons systems and that those who employ these weapons remain responsible and accountable for their use.

We stand in solidarity with the women, men and children whose lives have been affected by this unjustified and unjustifiable attack and deplore the tragic loss of life and human suffering.

The EU strongly condemns the Russian Federation's decision to increase the readiness of its nuclear forces and the threats by president Putin of using nuclear force in this war. These threats are unacceptable, provocative, dangerous and escalatory. Only last month the Russian Federation, in the context of the P5, reaffirmed that a nuclear war cannot be won and must never be fought. In the interest of all humanity, Russian Federation must heed its commitments and immediately cease this nuclear brinkmanship and rhetoric.

The European Union firmly believes that the use of force and coercion to change borders has no place in the 21st century. Tensions and conflict should be resolved exclusively through dialogue and diplomacy. The EU will continue cooperating closely with neighbours and reiterates its unwavering support for, and commitment to, the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Georgia and of the Republic of Moldova. It will continue strong coordination with partners and allies, within the UN, OSCE, NATO and the G7.

The integrity of the rules-based international system is key to our collective security. It could be only achieved through effective multilateralism and rules-based global governance. The EU will continue to do its utmost to protect these principles and values, including right here at the Conference on Disarmament.

Thank you for your attention.