Thank you, Chair,
I have the honour to speak on behalf of the following EU Member States: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, and Sweden.
The following participating States have joined the Statement: Albania, Andorra, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Republic of Moldova, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Norway and Ukraine.
1. Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine persists, with daily deliberate attacks on civilian infrastructure—including energy, railway, water systems and port facilities—endangering civilians and crippling essential services. Recent escalations have led to a sharp rise in civilian casualties, with UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine revealing a 49% increase in deaths and injuries in March compared to February (211 killed, 1,206 injured). Tragically, this included 89 children—a 65% surge from previous month. Casualties have further mounted in April. The massive Russian airstrike on Kyiv, Odesa and Dnipro on 16 April was one of the deadliest single waves of attacks in recent weeks. Russian armed forces deliberately carried out follow-up strikes on Ukrainian emergency services as first responders arrived to save lives. At least 18 civilians were reportedly killed and more than 120 were injured. We strongly condemn these indiscriminate and brutal strikes against Ukrainian civilians and critical infrastructure. We once again demand Russia to cease its aggression, withdraw all forces and military equipment from the entire territory of Ukraine and fully respect Ukraine’s sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity within its internationally recognised borders.
2. There can be no impunity for war crimes and the other crimes committed in connection with Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, including the crime of aggression. We support the operationalisation of the Special Tribunal for the Crime of Aggression against Ukraine and we have launched the process of becoming a founding member.
3. We restate our demand for the immediate and unconditional release of all prisoners of war and civilians arbitrarily detained by Russia, including the three OSCE officials: Vadym Golda, Maxim Petrov and Dmytro Shabanov. We remain deeply concerned about the fate of all Ukrainian children forcibly transferred by Russia within the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine or unlawfully deported to Russia and Belarus. We are relieved that in March 2026, Ukraine returned 47 children, bringing the total number of returned children to 2,083. On 16 and 17 April 2026, Europol together with the Netherlands hosted a coordinated effort to identify and trace some of these children, information about 45 children being uncovered and shared with Ukrainian authorities. The EU will continue to call on Russia and Belarus to immediately end the grave violation of child deportation and forcible transfer, which – according to the Commission of Inquiry and 2023 Moscow Mechanism expert mission – amount to grave breaches of the Fourth Geneva Convention and war crimes, to stop the illegal adoption of Ukrainian children and to ensure their immediate and safe return to Ukraine. Together with Ukraine and Canada, we will co-host the high-level
meeting of the International Coalition for the Return of Ukrainian Children on 11 May in order to bring together partners from across the world with the clear mission of returning all Ukrainian children. The OSCE Moscow Mechanism remains a crucial tool in our efforts to ensure accountability and we will continue to make full use of it.
Mr. Chair,
4. The European Union reiterates its strong support for a comprehensive, just and lasting peace in Ukraine based on the principles of the UN Charter and international law and welcomes all diplomatic efforts to that end. The EU and its Member States are ready to contribute to robust and credible security guarantees for Ukraine, based on their respective competences and capabilities and in line with international law, while continuing to also provide comprehensive political, financial, economic, humanitarian, military and diplomatic support in close coordination with like-minded partners and allies.
5. We will further increase pressure on Russia and continue weakening its war economy so that it stops its brutal war of aggression and engages in meaningful negotiations towards peace.
6. We urge 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 by Iran, Belarus and the DPRK, among others.
Mr. Chair,
7. We also urge Russia to refrain from further breaches of the national airspace of EU Member States. We stand in solidarity with all EU Member States that continue to be provoked and threatened by Russia.