Mr./Madam 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, and also on behalf of the following participating States that joined the statement: Albania, Andorra, Bosnia and Hercegovina, Georgia, Iceland, Lichtenstein, Moldova, Montenegro, Norway, North Macedonia, and Ukraine.
1. The EU reiterates its resolute condemnation of Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, which constitutes a manifest violation of the UN Charter, and OSCE core principles and commitments, and reaffirms its continued support for Ukraine’s independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity within its internationally recognised borders.
2. Day after day, Ukraine suffers the appalling human cost of Russia’s illegal, unprovoked and unjustifiable war of aggression that continues unabated. On the night of 16 June, Kyiv suffered one of the most massive and devastating air attacks since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion, with at least 28 civilians killed and many more injured in a relentless nine-hour assault involving drones, ballistic and cruise missiles, which struck residential buildings across Ukraine's capital and other regions. This latest Russian attack is all the more egregious given that, on 18 June, it marked 100 days since Ukraine agreed to a proposal for a full and only unconditional ceasefire, which Russia has continued to ignore. Russia’s contempt for international law, its blatant disregard for human life, and its utter lack of sincerity about peace negotiations are evident in its actions.
3. From the outset, Russia has terrorised the Ukrainian population with its relentless, deliberate attacks on civilians and civilian objects, including civilian infrastructure, in violation of international humanitarian law. Most recently, Russia has even intensified such attacks: According to Ukrainian authorities, over the last weekend, Russia attacked energy and agricultural infrastructure in Kremenchuk, industrial sites around Kryvyi Rih and even destroyed a humanitarian aid storage facility in Zaporizhzhia.
Mr./Madam Chair,
4. Today, as we commemorate the International Day for the Elimination of Sexual Violence in Conflict, our thoughts are particularly with all those who have suffered from sexual violence in the context of war and conflict. Conflict-related sexual violence is a war crime, a crime against humanity and a constituent act of genocide under international law, posing threats to individual and collective security and undermining prospects for lasting peace.
5. We express serious concern over findings from the Moscow Mechanism, ODIHR monitoring reports, the UN Commission of Inquiry, and the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, which document widespread conflict-related sexual violence committed under the responsibility of Russian authorities as part of Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine. We resolutely condemn such acts.
6. As these reports show, sexual and gender-based violence, systematic and widespread torture, ill-treatment, arbitrary detentions, illegal deportations, forcible transfers, enforced disappearances, summary executions of civilians, prisoners of war, and members of the armed forces no longer taking part in hostilities, deliberate and systematic attacks against Ukraine’s energy and other civilian infrastructure, and the unlawful practice of deportation and forcible transfer of Ukrainian children - these are the horrific ways in which Russia has waged and continues to wage its war of aggression and its illegal occupation of Ukrainian territory, and they must end immediately. The EU encourages further efforts to ensure accountability for all international crimes and human rights violations and abuses stemming from the Russian war of aggression. We reiterate that there can be no lasting peace without justice. There can be no impunity for any perpetrators and accomplices of Russia’s crimes.
7. We welcome the recent agreement on the exchange of prisoners of war (POWs), which has enabled the return of soldiers to their homes. At the same time, however, the UN has documented that since the beginning of the war, Ukrainian POWs have been subjected to widespread and systematic acts of torture, including sexual violence. Many Ukrainians – civilians and combatants – remain in Russian captivity, suffering inhumane conditions, and often with no contact with their families, in violation of international law. We recall that a credible pathway to peace must include humanitarian relief efforts, notably the exchange of prisoners of war, the release and safe return of all Ukrainian children and other civilians unlawfully deported, forcibly transferred or arbitrarily detained by Russia in the illegally and temporarily occupied parts of Ukraine or in Russia. This includes the three arbitrarily detained OSCE officials, Vadym Golda, Maxim Petrov and Dmytro Shabanov, who remain unjustly and illegally detained by Russia. Mr./Madam Chair,
8. We strongly condemn the continued support for Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine provided by third countries, such as the DPRK, Belarus, Iran, and actors and entities therein. We urge all countries to immediately cease any direct or indirect assistance, including the provision of dual-use goods and sensitive items that sustain Russia’s military industrial base. In this vein, and as stated by the G7 Foreign Ministers and the HRVP, China is also a decisive enabler of Russia’s war.
9. We urge the aggressor, Russia, to immediately stop its war of aggression, and to completely and unconditionally withdraw all its forces and military equipment from the entire territory of Ukraine within its internationally recognised borders. We strongly condemn Russia's continued refusal to genuinely commit to a ceasefire. Russia must end its delaying tactics and commit to an immediate, full and unconditional ceasefire, to which Ukraine already committed more than three months ago, as a crucial step toward creating the conditions for substantive negotiations. In this context, the European Union remains ready to step up pressure on Russia, including by adopting further sanctions. We reiterate the need to end Russia’s war of aggression through a comprehensive, just and lasting peace based on the principles of the UN Charter and international law. The EU and its Member States will contribute to the peace process and help secure a just and lasting peace for Ukraine, which is in the interest of both Ukraine and Europe as a whole.
10. The EU and its Member States, in coordination with like-minded partners and allies, will continue to provide multi-faceted support, including financial, economic, humanitarian, military and diplomatic support, to Ukraine and its people to help the country exercise its inherent right to self-defence in full accordance with international law and as enshrined in Article 51 of the UN Charter. Russia must not prevail.