1. The EU and its Member States resolutely condemn Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, which constitutes a manifest violation of international law including the UN Charter as well as the OSCE’s core principles and commitments.
2. On 26 October, the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Ukraine submitted to the UN General Assembly a new report on the situation of human
rights in Ukraine stemming from the Russian aggression. According to the
Commission’s reporting, over four years of systematic waves of attacks on
Ukraine’s energy sector, using hundreds of drones and missiles at a time,
damaged or destroyed heat supply facilities, electricity distribution, substations and
power generation facilities across the country. Prolonged disruptions and outages
of electricity, heat, water, and gas have caused intolerable living conditions for the
civilian population during extremely cold periods. The Commission has concluded
that the Russian authorities have committed war crimes of intentionally directing
attacks against civilian objects and the crimes against humanity of other inhumane
acts.
3. We remain committed to ensuring full accountability for war crimes and the other most serious crimes committed in connection with Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine.
4. Mr Chair, we see this pattern repeating with Russia escalating its large-scale, deliberate and systematic missile and drone attacks against Ukraine’s energy systems as the winter is again about to start. Reports continue to emerge daily of civilian casualties such as on 29 October when a Russian drone killed 14 people on a rail platform in Dnipro, while on that same day another six people were killed across the country, including in Kyiv. The deadly attack in Dnipro is yet another brutal assault on Ukrainian civilians making it clear that Russia is not interested in peace.
5. The EU and its Member States support a comprehensive, just and lasting peace in Ukraine based on the principles of the UN Charter and international law and underpinned by robust and credible security guarantees for Ukraine. We reaffirm our continued firm and unwavering support for Ukraine’s independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity within its internationally recognised borders. Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions as well as the Crimean Peninsula are Ukraine. Borders must not be changed by force.
6. We will continue to increase the pressure on Russia and to support Ukraine until a just and lasting peace is achieved, including with political, financial, economic, humanitarian, military and diplomatic support to Ukraine and its people.
7. The EU and its Member States continue to call on Russia to stop its aggression and immediately, completely and unconditionally withdraw all of its forces and military equipment from the entire territory of Ukraine within its internationally recognised borders.
8. We reiterate our call on all countries to immediately cease any assistance to Russia in its war of aggression against Ukraine, whether direct or indirect, and notably through the provision of dual-use goods and components. In particular, we strongly condemn the deployment of the DPRK’s military forces in the war against Ukraine as well as the continued military support provided to Russia by Belarus, Iran and the DPRK, among others.
Thank you.