Thank you, Chair,
I have the honour to speak on behalf of the following EU Member States: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and Cyprus, and also, on behalf of the following participating States that joined this statement: Ukraine, Albania, Andorra, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Moldova, Montenegro, Norway and North Macedonia.
1. Madam Chair, the EU and its Member States resolutely condemn Russia’s illegal, unprovoked and unjustifiable war of aggression against Ukraine, which constitutes a manifest violation of the UN Charter, as well as the OSCE’s core principles and commitments. As it did last week, Russia again launched a massive attack last Saturday. Reports indicate five people were killed in Kyiv where Russia targeted the city’s energy system. Sumy, Kharkiv, Dnipro and Mykolaiv regions were also hit as Russia used 430 drones and 68 missiles overall in the attacks. In Zaporizhzhia, one person was reported killed on the same day after Russia hit a residential area of the city with guided bombs. And Russia continues to inflict pain on the civilian population. On Monday, following an overnight drone assault with over 200 drones and the continued attacks in the morning, one person was reported killed in Zaporizhzhia and one in the Sumy region.
2. We 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 and reaffirm our unwavering support for Ukraine’s independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity within its internationally recognised borders.
3. The EU and its Member States strongly condemn support by third countries, and actors and entities therein, which enable Russia to sustain its war of aggression against Ukraine. We condemn the continued military support provided by Belarus, Iran and the DPRK.
4. We urge all countries to immediately cease any direct or indirect assistance to Russia in its war of aggression against Ukraine. In this vein, and as stated by G7 Foreign Ministers and the HRVP, China is also a decisive enabler of Russia’s war.
5. We reaffirm our strong commitment to ensuring full accountability for war crimes and the other most serious crimes committed in connection with Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine.
6. Just last week, the UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Ukraine concluded in its latest report that compelling evidence concerning the deportation and transfer of children from Ukraine has led the Commission to conclude that these acts amount to crimes against humanity and war crimes of deportation and forcible transfer of children.
7. Madam Chair, Russia’s war of aggression has a devastating impact on Ukraine and Ukrainians every day, bringing suffering and destruction. It also has repercussion for European and global security. European actions, as underlined in the European Defence Readiness Roadmap 2030, reflect the increasing dangers and threats to the EU and its Member States. Russia’s full-scale military aggression against Ukraine has reached new heights of brutality and violence. Reckless provocations and acts of hybrid warfare against EU Member States, from cyber attacks to violation of air space are increasing, as we often highlight in this Forum. European actions aim at ensuring peace through deterrence. The core of the readiness objective is ensuring that Europe has the full spectrum capabilities needed to deter any aggression and to defend its borders by land, air and sea, as well as its networks and assets in cyber and outer space.
8. In this context, we urge Russia to refrain from further breaches of the national airspace of EU Member States, which are irresponsible acts and represent a serious threat to regional security. We strongly condemn the breaches of the airspace of Romania which occurred on 17 March, as a consequence of the brutal Russian attacks against Ukrainian ports on the Danube.
9. During her speech at the EU Ambassadors’ conference last week, European Commission President von der Leyen underlined that when talking about security: “we must talk about Ukraine. A proud European nation that continues to fight for our freedoms, both as a future member of our Union and as Europe's first line of defence. My message here is clear: Europe will always stand with Ukraine – no matter what is happening elsewhere. We all want this horror and bloodshed to end. And no one wants peace more than the people of Ukraine. But the war must end in a way that does not sow the seeds for future conflicts. And this is what we continue to work on every day – with Ukraine and with our partners – to deliver real long-term security for Ukraine. So that we can secure a full, just and lasting peace.”
Our support to Ukraine and its people will continue to be multi-faceted, including political, financial, economic, humanitarian, military and diplomatic.
Thank you.