Mr Chair, with its illegal, unprovoked and unjustifiable war of aggression, the
Russian Federation violates the OSCE principles and commitments which Russia
itself signed up to and blatantly breaches international law, including international
humanitarian law and international human rights law. Last week at the FSC we
voiced our serious concerns over the treatment of captured Ukrainian soldiers by
Russia. Today, we welcome the invocation, by 45 OSCE participating States, of
the Moscow Mechanism in view of the reports regarding violations of international
humanitarian law and international human rights law with regard to the arbitrary
detention of Ukrainian civilians by Russia. Neither military personnel nor civilians
are safe from the horrors of the war of aggression that Russia unleashed.
We reiterate that Russia is solely responsible for this horrendous and catastrophic
war of aggression against Ukraine and at the same time the only actor that can
end it immediately, even today. Such an action would be a necessary and critical
first step towards a comprehensive, just and lasting peace, in line with Ukraine’s
Peace Formula.
As announced last week by the Presidents of the European Council, the European
Commission and the European Parliament at the occasion of the tragic second
commemoration of Russia’s full-scale war of aggression against Ukraine, the EU
and Member States will continue to address Ukraine’s pressing military and
defence needs, including deliveries of urgently needed ammunition and missiles.
We have taken unprecedented actions to ramp up European defence industry
production, thus enabling greater capacity and facilitating increased military
support and cooperation with Ukraine, while simultaneously strengthening EU
defence readiness and European sovereignty. The EU has also been developing
future security commitments, in full respect of the security and defence policies of
certain Member States, which will help Ukraine to defend itself, resist
destabilisation efforts and deter acts of aggression in the future.
The OSCE Secretariat bears no responsibility for the content of this document
and circulates it without altering its content. The distribution by OSCE
Conference Services of this document is without prejudice to OSCE decisions,
as set out in documents agreed by OSCE participating States.
Moreover, the European Peace Facility has been used to facilitate the delivery of
more military equipment to Ukraine. As High Representative Borrell said, ‘never
before had the European Union financed deliveries of military equipment to a
country at war’. Until now, the EU and Member States have mobilised more than
EUR 28 billion of military assistance, both lethal and non-lethal.
5. In addition, the EU Military Assistance Mission in support of Ukraine (EUMAM) is
the largest military mission in the European Union’s history and by the end of
summer this year, 60,000 Ukrainian soldiers will have been trained on the soil of
EU Member States.
As President von der Leyen told the European Parliament last week, ‘Europe has
shown and proven that it will support Ukraine for as long as it takes’. Our
commitment to Ukraine remains unwavering and the EU and its Member States
are united and determined in their strong support, be it political, financial,
economic, humanitarian, military or diplomatic.
Mr Chair, the EU and its Member States reiterate that Russia must immediately
stop its illegal, unprovoked and unjustifiable war of aggression, put an end to this
unbearable suffering and devastation, and completely and unconditionally
withdraw all of its forces and military equipment from the entire territory of Ukraine
within its internationally recognised borders. We also condemn the continued
military support for Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine provided by
Belarus, as well as Iran and the DPRK. We urge all countries not to provide
material or other support for Russia’s war of aggression, which is a blatant
violation of international law, including the UN Charter, and the OSCE’s core
principles and commitments.
Thank you.