Mr. Chair, today is Ukraine’s 31st anniversary of independence, which is the only occasion we should be commemorating.
We’ve instead come in this Special Council to once again denounce Russia’s unprovoked, massive, and unlawful invasion of Ukraine. It has been a difficult six months.
It is appropriate that precisely six months after the three-day conflict that the Russian government had predicted, we commemorate the tenacity of the brave country of Ukraine that has refused to submit to President Putin’s imperialism.
We wish the whole Ukrainian population a happy national day and wish them many more to come. We congratulate our Ukrainian colleagues. Politicians gathered yesterday for the International Crimea Platform.
The Russian government has been systematically violating human rights in Crimea since 2014, especially by persecuting the Tatar population, making arbitrary arrests, and limiting property ownership.
Let’s not forget that Putin’s aggression against Ukraine did not start on February 24; rather, it escalated. Stressing that Crimea is part of Ukraine has never been more vital.
We convey our sincere condolences to the relatives of the victims of the continuing attack against Ukraine and reiterate our solidarity with the people of Ukraine.
We also pay respect to all those who have given their lives in the face of evil and tyranny. In Europe, 6.5 million people have fled their homes, with one third of them being Ukrainians. Over 5,500 of the 13,477 civilian deaths reported by the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights as of Monday are dead.
There is a person with a name, a face, a family, and friends who care about them behind each of these statistics.
The actual number is very definitely far higher and continues to rise daily as Russia continues to shell indiscriminately in Mykolaiv, Kharkiv, Dnipro, and Donetsk, among other civilian targets and essential infrastructure.
The entire world is horrified by Russia’s contempt for international law and its lack of compassion. The tales of war crimes and atrocities perpetrated by Russian soldiers in locations like Irpin and Bucha appalled the whole globe.
I, along with many of my colleagues here, have stressed the callousness and flagrant illegality of Russia’s methods time and time again.
The use of sham trials, claims of torture, and the exploitation of prisoners of war and civilian detainees for political gain are all tactics that are obviously in violation of the Geneva Conventions.
Russia does not acclimatize us to its inhumane tactics by waging this terrible assault on us; on the contrary, it simply serves to heighten our collective fury. The UK is dedicated to seeing that those responsible for war crimes in Ukraine are prosecuted.
President Putin has shown his real colors by turning to the use of food and energy as weapons after being humiliated militarily and failing to achieve his first war goals.
This has threatened global food security and put some of the world’s most vulnerable people in danger of going hungry. Regarding the effects of Russia’s illegitimate invasion on nuclear safety and security, we continue to have serious concerns.
The operations of Ukraine’s nuclear plants have been severely disrupted since February, presenting a serious danger to the people of Ukraine and the rest of Europe.
In particular, Russia has to make sure that the competent Ukrainian authorities have complete authority over the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power station as well as that the International Atomic Energy Agency has access to it in order to resolve pressing safety, security, and protection issues. Failure to comply would be a desperate move that would cost a lot of money.
The immediate and total evacuation of Russian military from Ukraine’s sovereign territory, however, is the surest way to reestablishing nuclear safety and security in that country.
Since the invasion began, the UK has contributed more than £3 billion in economic, humanitarian, and military aid.
This money has gone toward holding war criminals accountable and imposing an extraordinary set of penalties on those who helped to facilitate this attack.
In the face of President Putin’s illegal, premeditated, and unprovoked aggression, we will continue to use all of the means at our disposal to guarantee that Ukraine succeeds.
On this Ukrainian Independence Day, we firmly reiterate our commitment to preserving Ukraine’s territorial integrity, sovereignty, and independence within its internationally recognized boundaries, including its territorial seas.
We demand the complete, immediate, and unconditional withdrawal of Russian soldiers and military hardware from Ukrainian territory as well as the immediate stop of hostilities between the Russian Federation and Ukraine. We also call for an end to all assaults on people and civilian infrastructure. Ukraine, know that we support you.