YouSaid · the spoken record

Kyslytsya

lines on the record: 887
first: 2010-10-26
most recent: 2023-12-29
sittings or episodes: 80
sources: un-security-council

Every line below is reproduced as it was said and linked to the record it came from. Nothing here is summarised or generated. Directory · Search · Corrections

“I thank the Secretary-General for his statement to that effect. I have a plea: “Stop harassing the Secretary-General. Stop attacking him. Show respect for the institution. Stop wiping your feet on the Secretary General, who is a very nice person and a dedicated supporter of the Charter of the United Nations.” We remain open to negotiations, but no one should put words in our mouth or manipulate our statements about negotiations. We are sick of Russia’s interpretations. Let Russia speak on its own behalf and not on ours. It was stated by the President of Ukraine that we are open to negotiations on a permanent basis. We have been saying that all along. It is Russia that killed the Normandy format. It is Russia that killed the Minsk agreements.”
2022-02-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8979 (2022) · source
“For hypocritical political reasons, the Europeans were then of the opinion that it was better to invite Russia — and it was invited — in the middle of the war, as it was killing thousands and thousands of its own citizens in Chechnya. We count upon the proper reaction by the international community to the medieval atrocities committed by Russia in Ukraine. Today, a number of countries have already imposed sanctions on Russia. The burden must be heavy. If you say that sanctions are nothing, I am sure that the bodies of dead Russian soldiers are not nothing, even if you are completely diabolical. We are sincerely grateful to the United Nations for its prompt decision to support the humanitarian response in Ukraine, and we highly commend the United Nations efforts to encourage major humanitarian donors to make additional funding available.”
2022-02-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8979 (2022) · source
“Ukraine has broken diplomatic relations with Russia — something that should have been done eight years ago. We call on our partners to follow our example or to find other ways to sever diplomatic relationships with Russia. We call on international organizations to ban or suspend Russia’s memberships. The latter has happened today, in fact, as the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe, by an overwhelming majority — almost by consensus — adopted a decision to suspend the Russian Federation’s rights of representation in the Committee of Ministers and in the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe. Russia should never have been invited to join the Council in the first place. It was invited to join the Council of Europe — a temple of human rights — in the very middle of the war in Chechnya, even before the Khasavyurt Accord.”
2022-02-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8979 (2022) · source
“Calling occupying troops peacekeepers, claiming the right of self-defence — that is lunacy. The Russian troops are suffering heavy losses in aircraft, helicopters, tanks, trucks and, most importantly, personnel. Russia can stop the voting in this Chamber, but what may stop the war, unfortunately, are the thousands of bodies of Russian soldiers that will be delivered to their mothers in Russia, whether you like it or not, because we have to defend our territories. We have to defend ourselves on our territory. Thousands of Ukrainians have already joined the Ukrainian army or the Territorial Defence Forces, and the resolve and dedication of civilians joining the Territorial Defence Forces are the best proof that we will not surrender, even if Russia succeeds in temporarily occupying additional chunks of our territory.”
2022-02-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8979 (2022) · source
“Indeed, 80 per cent of the infrastructure of the small town of Schastia, located in the Government-controlled part of Donbas, has been completely destroyed, according to the local administration. The name of the town can be translated as “happiness”; that is actually the name of the town. What a grotesque irony. That speaks volumes as to what kind of happiness the Russian Federation will be bringing to Donbas, to Ukraine and to other nations sooner or later if we continue to allow Russia to go ahead with its diabolical plan. The Ambassador can rest assured that there will be no hospitality shown to his troops on our territory. Ukraine has been exercising its right to self- defence under Article 51 of the Charter. Russia does not have that excuse. Its perverse reading of the Charter is so sick that it is impossible to interpret.”
2022-02-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8979 (2022) · source
“Another matter of concern there is that the control levels of gamma radiation, those in the exclusion zone, have already been exceeded because of damage to the topsoil owing to the movement of a great deal of heavy military equipment, including tanks, and, as a result, there has been contamination by radioactive dust. As of midnight the previous night, almost 140 persons had been killed and 316 others wounded on the Ukrainian side during the first day of the Russian invasion. Many civilian infrastructure objects were ruined. To stop the advance of the Russian tanks, a young gentleman, a hero, blew himself up on a bridge. He killed himself in order to destroy the bridge and prevent the Russian tanks from moving ahead. But the destruction is not only taking place in cities.”
2022-02-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8979 (2022) · source
“Those attacks are war crimes and violations of the Rome Statute, whether one is a party to it or not. We are gathering those and other facts and will immediately send them on to The Hague, and responsibility is inevitable. Nothing can justify today’s deliberate shelling by a Russian warship of a Moldovan-flagged chemical tanker with a Russian crew — imagine — or a Panamanian-flagged cargo ship near the port of Odessa, in the Black Sea. That is a flagrant violation of the international law of the sea. Is this the time to discuss historical reflections against the backdrop of the alarming situation at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, which has been seized by Russian armed troops? They detained the staff of the nuclear power plant, not allowing them to rotate as required by technical safety rules.”
2022-02-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8979 (2022) · source
“I shall now continue with my statement. I am saddened, however, that a small handful of members seem to still be tolerating the war. No complex historical context can be used to justify what is going on. I would say to some that it is exactly because of the safety of their nationals right now in Ukraine that they should be the first to vote to stop the war to save their nationals in Ukraine, and not think about whether they should or should not vote, because of the safety of their nationals. Nothing can justify the missile shelling of a kindergarten, an orphanage and hospitals that took place today. In fact, one of my relatives had a stroke a few days ago and cannot be evacuated even to a shelter, because that person cannot be moved and so is in the hospital in the city of Kyiv.”
2022-02-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8979 (2022) · source
“So since the Council is not ruled by the current presidency on the basis of rules, I, too, will probably be unruly and ask all here to dedicate a moment of complete silence to pray, or to meditate if they do not believe in God, for peace — to pray for the souls of those who have already been killed and for the souls of those who may be killed, and I invite the Russian Ambassador to pray for salvation. I would suggest that we spend a moment in complete silence.”
2022-02-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8979 (2022) · source
“The Russian Federation, which by treachery occupied the seat of a Security Council member in 1991, daily violates not only the Charter but also the provisional rules of procedure of the Security Council. Indeed, if Russia did not violate the provisional rules, then Mr. Nebenzia would have to follow rule 20, which states in relation to the President of the Security Council that “for the proper fulfillment of the responsibilities of the presidency, he should not preside over the Council during the consideration of a particular question with which the member he represents” — that is, the Russian Federation — “is directly connected, he shall indicate his decision to the Council” not to preside.”
2022-02-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8979 (2022) · source
“The fate of Ukraine is being decided right now.” We just heard something that the Russian Ambassador wanted to present as assurances from himself and from his leadership: that it is all provocation. He urged us not to yield to provocations. Do Council members remember how many times he said that or how many times his deputy said in this very room that there will be no invasion, no attacks? Do Council members remember that during the previous meeting he was walking out of the Chamber trying to call someone, not knowing what was going on? How can we trust him? How can we trust his assurances? He has no idea what is on the mind of his President. His words have less value than a hole in a New York pretzel.”
2022-02-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8979 (2022) · source
“Last night was the most horrific for Kyiv since — just imagine — 1941 when it was attacked by Nazis. Last night it was attacked by someone who pretends they are fighting with neo-Nazis. I am therefore not surprised that Russia voted against the draft resolution. Russia is keen on continuing its Nazi-style course of action. The Kremlin regime should not be called the Russian regime. The Kremlin regime should be called the “Russist regime”. A couple of hours ago my President said “Tonight the enemy will use all the forces at their disposal to break our resistance — vile, cruel and inhuman. Tonight they will storm. We must all understand what awaits us. We have to persevere tonight.”
2022-02-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8979 (2022) · source
“The draft resolution recalls the obligation of all States under Article 2 of the Charter of the United Nations to refrain in their international relations from the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any State. The draft resolution called on Russia to stop its offensive against Ukraine. The memories are very fresh. The Security Council was discussing the ways to prevent the war quite recently in this very Chamber. At the very same moment, deadly air strikes were dropped on civilian heads across my country and Russian troops crossed the Ukrainian border from the territory of Russia. The territory of Belarus was used for missile attacks and the troops were marching from the occupied parts of the Ukrainian Donbas and Crimea.”
2022-02-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8979 (2022) · source
“I will not dignify the Russian diabolical script — which resembles a letter of application for an upscale seat in hell — by commenting on it. I would like to use this opportunity to thank the parents of every Ambassador here; to thank the people of the democratic nations who put these Ambassadors in their seats; to tell the children of these Ambassadors that they should be proud of their parents who have voted in favour of the draft resolution. I thank my good friend Nicolas from France, Ronaldo from Brazil, my good friend Mr. Hoxha from Albania, Linda, Barbara and Mona. I thank my good friend from Mexico, Martin from Kenya, Ireland, Ghana and Gabon. I thank the dozens and dozens of co-sponsors who would have voted in favour of the draft resolution if they had had a chance to vote. They will have that chance in days to come.”
2022-02-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8979 (2022) · source
“As I said, Sir, relinquish your duties as President of the Council; call President Putin and call Foreign Minister Lavrov to stop the aggression. I welcome the decision of some members of the Council to meet as soon as possible to consider the necessary decision that would condemn the aggression that the Russian Federation has launched against my people. There is no purgatory for war criminals; they go straight to hell.”
2022-02-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8974 (2022) · source
“Russia declared war. It is the responsibility of this organ to stop the war. I therefore call on everyone here to do everything possible to stop the war. Or should I play the video with the President of Russia declaring war?”
2022-02-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8974 (2022) · source
“If he is not in a position to give an affirmative answer, the Russian Federation should relinquish its responsibilities as President of the Security Council and pass those responsibilities to a legitimate member of Security Council that respects the Charter. I ask the members of the Security Council to convene an emergency meeting immediately to consider all necessary draft decisions to stop the war. It is too late to speak about the escalation — too late. The Russian President has officially declared war. Should I play the video of President Putin? Shall I do that right now so that you can confirm it, Mr. President? Do not interrupt me, please.”
2022-02-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8974 (2022) · source
“As I was on my way here about an hour ago, my intention was to ask the Russian Ambassador to confirm, on the record, that the Russian troops would not start firing on Ukrainians today or go ahead with the offensive. That became useless 48 minutes ago because, about 48 minutes ago, his President declared war on Ukraine. I would therefore like to ask the Ambassador of the Russian Federation to say on the record that, at this very moment, his troops are not shelling and bombing Ukrainian cities and are not moving into the territory of Ukraine. He has a smartphone; he can call Mr. Lavrov right now. We can pause to let him go out and call him.”
2022-02-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8974 (2022) · source
“Article 4, paragraph 2, of the Charter states, “The admission of any such state to membership in the United Nations will be effected by a decision of the General Assembly upon the recommendation of the Security Council.” I ask the Secretary-General to kindly instruct the Secretariat to distribute among the members of the Security Council and the General Assembly the decision of the Security Council, dated December 1991, recommending membership of the Russian Federation to the Organization, as well as the decision of the General Assembly, dated December 1991, in which the General Assembly welcomes the Russian Federation to the United Nations. It would be a miracle if the Secretariat were able to produce such decisions. There is nothing in the Charter of the United Nations about continuity as a sneaky way to get into the Organization.”
2022-02-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8974 (2022) · source
“Therefore, before I read out parts of my statement, I would like to avail myself of the presence of the Secretary-General and request that he distribute among the members of the Security Council and the General Assembly the legal memos by the United Nations Legal Counsel, dated December 1991, and in particular the legal memo dated 19 December 1991, which we had been trying to get from the Secretariat for a very long time and were denied.”
2022-02-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8974 (2022) · source
“Before I try to deliver parts of the statement that I brought here tonight — most of which has already become useless since 10 p.m. New York time — I would like to cite Article 4, paragraph 1, of the Charter of the United Nations, which states: “Membership in the United Nations is open to all other peace-loving states which accept the obligations contained in the present Charter and, in the judgment of the Organization, are able and willing to carry out these obligations.” Russia is not able to carry out any of those obligations. Three minutes ago, the Ambassador of the Russian Federation confirmed that his President has declared war on my country.”
2022-02-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8974 (2022) · source
“Whether or not it succumbs to the virus is in the hands of the membership. Today the Kremlin copy- pasted — word for word — the decree on Georgia of 2008. They copy-pasted it word for word, with no creativity whatsoever. The copying machine in the Kremlin works very well. Who will be the next United Nations Member? That is an open question.”
2022-02-21 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8970 (2022) · source
“In conclusion, I would like to reiterate that it remains up to Russia to abandon its long-standing strategy on Ukraine, one based on threats and the use of force against the territorial integrity and political independence of my country, and to re-engage with what we all have committed to — the fundamental principles of peaceful relations, as enshrined in the United Nations Charter. We demand that Russia cancel its decision to recognize the occupied parts of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions of Ukraine and return to the negotiations table. We condemn the order to deploy additional Russian occupation troops in the territories of Ukraine. We demand the immediate, complete and verifiable withdrawal of the occupation troops. The United Nations is sick. That is a matter of fact. It has been hit by the virus spread by the Kremlin.”
2022-02-21 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8970 (2022) · source
“Pursuant to Article 39, the Security Council shall make recommendations or decide what measures shall be taken to maintain or restore international peace and security. The delegation of Ukraine calls on the Security Council members to exercise those duties. We invite the Russian Federation to carefully re-read today’s statement again and again, in which the Secretary-General considers Russia’s decision to be a violation of the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Ukraine and inconsistent with the principles of the Charter of the United Nations. I thank the Secretary- General for that powerful statement.”
2022-02-21 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8970 (2022) · source
“Our one goal is peace — peace in Ukraine and peace in Europe, global peace “[W]e must do all we can to make sure that the problem of Donbas is resolved through the implementation of the Minsk agreements.” (see S/PV.8968) That was said here in this Chamber just four days ago by the Russian Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs in the chair of the President of the Council, with reference to President Putin, who took the decision that we are discussing today, which is a threat to the rules-based order and to the Charter, in particular its Article 2, as well as to international peace and security. The Security Council has been tasked with maintaining that peace and security, under Article 24 of the Charter.”
2022-02-21 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8970 (2022) · source
“We are committed to a political diplomatic settlement and will not succumb to provocations. In accordance with Article 51 of the Charter, Ukraine has the inherent right to individual and collective self-defence. We are committed to a peaceful and diplomatic path and will not waver. We are on our land. We are not afraid of anything or anyone. We do not owe anyone anything, and we will not give anything away to anyone. There should be no doubt whatsoever, because it is not February 2014. It is February 2022. This is a different country and a different army.”
2022-02-21 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8970 (2022) · source
“Today the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Ukraine sent a request, on the basis of the Budapest Memorandum on Security Assurances, to the guarantors of Ukraine’s security, demanding immediate consultations. A Security Council meeting and a special meeting of the Organization for Security and Cooperation (OSCE) were called. We insist on the full-fledged operations of the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine in order to prevent provocations and further escalation. An emergency summit of the Normandy Four was also requested. We expect from our partners clear and efficient shows of support. We will now see who our true friends and partners are — who is on the side of the Charter of the United Nations and who will continue to deter Russia through words only.”
2022-02-21 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8970 (2022) · source
“The political leadership of the Russian Federation shall bear full responsibility for the outcomes of the decisions taken. Recognition of the occupied parts of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions of Ukraine can be considered as a unilateral withdrawal by Russia from the Minsk agreements and shows its disregard for the decisions taken in the framework of the Normandy Four. This step undermines peaceful efforts and ruins the existing negotiating frameworks. Through the decisions adopted today and those that may be adopted tomorrow, Russia attempts to legalize the presence of its troops, which have actually been in the occupied areas of Donbas since 2014. A country that has fuelled the war for eight years is not able to maintain peace, as it claims. What will happen next? We want peace, and we are consistent in our actions.”
2022-02-21 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8970 (2022) · source
“Today the entire membership of the United Nations is under attack — under attack by the country that occupied the membership of the Security Council in 1991 bypassing the Charter of the United Nations; the country that occupied the parts of the territory of Georgia in 2008; and the country that occupied parts of Ukraine in 2014. As stated by the President of Ukraine, Mr. Volodymyr Zelenskyy, following the urgent meeting of the National Security and Defence Council of Ukraine, the internationally recognized borders of Ukraine have been and will remain unchangeable, regardless of any statements and actions by the Russian Federation. Ukraine unequivocally qualifies the recent actions by the Russian Federation as violations of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine.”
2022-02-21 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8970 (2022) · source
“It is with unease that I will now remove my mask, and it is not because of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19). We are all vaccinated; there are vaccines for COVID-19. It is because of the virus that has so far no vaccine — the virus that hit the United Nations and the virus that is spread by the Kremlin. The delegation of Ukraine has requested this urgent meeting to draw the attention of the Security Council to the illegal and illegitimate decision of the President of the Russian Federation to recognize the occupied parts of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions of Ukraine as the so-called Donetsk and Luhansk People’s Republics.”
2022-02-21 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8970 (2022) · source
“Those words were written by a famous Russian poet Yevgeny Yevtushenko in 1962: “Let some repeat over and over again: ‘Compose yourself!’ I shall never find rest. As long as Stalin’s heirs exist on earth, It will seem to me That Stalin is still in the mausoleum.” I would remind Mr. Vershinin that we are in the twenty-first century. Let us return to the Charter of the United Nations and go about implementing its provisions. Let us change Article 23 and implement Articles 22, 24 and 108.”
2022-02-17 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8968 (2022) · source
“Please allow me to quote from it: “From the viewpoint of international law, the geopolitical transformations of 1991 did not result in the disappearance of the Soviet Union as a subject of international law. The State that was called the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics [USSR] did not come to an end, but rather continued its existence under international law.” Therefore, I wonder how Mr. Vershinin feels sitting in the Security Council as the representative of the USSR? That would seem to be what is implied. When I hear such statements and after listening to comrade Montian, I want to repeat the same words I said at the exact same meeting on the implementation Minsk agreements on 18 February 2020 (see S/PV.8726).”
2022-02-17 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8968 (2022) · source
“It remains up to Russia to take decisions that would lead to the full implementation of the commitments it has undertaken under the Minsk agreements, which were signed by President Putin’s Ambassador to Ukraine, Mr. Mikhail Zurabov, in blue ink on 5 September 2014 — who also signing agreements on 19 September 2014 and 12 February 2015. Drawing lessons from the past, we urge Russia to abandon its long-standing strategy on Ukraine based on threats and the use of force against the territorial integrity of the country, and instead re-engage with the fundamental principles of peaceful relations enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations. (spoke in Russian) Mass media recently disseminated a text that is attributed to Mr. Vershinin’s colleague Ms. Maria Zakharova.”
2022-02-17 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8968 (2022) · source
“Ukraine has taken steps on the implementation of agreed provisions relating to the political process. In particular, we have submitted initial proposals for the consideration of the Trilateral Contact Group on the law on the special status of local self-government in certain areas of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions of Ukraine. According to the standards of the Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights, the resumption of control of the border should be a prerequisite for holding local elections in Donbas. Otherwise, it would be impossible to create the necessary security environment for holding democratic elections in line with OSCE standards.”
2022-02-17 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8968 (2022) · source
“In that regard, we support the initiative of France and Germany to establish a coordination and verification mechanism for the OSCE SMM. On the political track, discussions on issues, such as the implementation of the so-called Steinmeier formula, the special status of local self-government in certain areas of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions, the amnesty law and the modalities of local elections continue to be blocked by the Russian side. The Russian representatives simply refuse to continue discussions on the working proposals submitted by the Ukrainian delegation in June 2020, relating to the special status of local self-government in certain areas in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions of Ukraine and other issues on the agenda of the political working group.”
2022-02-17 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8968 (2022) · source
“Restrictions on the SMM’s freedom of movement continue to be a major impediment for the full implementation of the SMM mandate. At the most recent meeting of the Trilateral Contact Group on February 9, Chief Monitor Çevik provided statistics confirming that 90 per cent of restrictions imposed on the freedom of movement of SMM patrols occur in the temporarily occupied territories of Donbas. We call on Russia to ensure unfettered access for the SMM to the entire territory under its effective control, in particular in the border areas. That is particularly important against the backdrop of Russia’s decision not to extend the mandate of the OSCE Observer Mission on the border at the Russian checkpoints at Gukovo and Donetsk, which were shut down in September 2021.”
2022-02-17 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8968 (2022) · source
“Since our leaders previously met in Paris in December 2019, the decisions then adopted remain unimplemented by Russia despite the fact that Ukraine has regularly proposed concrete initiatives for a ceasefire, humanitarian demining, the withdrawal of troops and hardware, the mutual release of detained persons, opening new entry-exit points, ensuring unimpeded access for the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine (SMM) throughout the conflict- affected area and the implementation of the political provisions of the Minsk agreements. On 22 December 2021, we managed to find a common understanding on resuming the ceasefire regime, initially launched in July 2020. We offered far- reaching compromises to strike a deal, but ceasefire violations by the Russian occupation forces have not yet ended.”
2022-02-17 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8968 (2022) · source
“It was therefore important that political advisers met in Paris and Berlin, despite the fact that many divergences on the implementation the Minsk agreements persist. We are ready to resume the Normandy Four talks in all formats, including at the leadership level. We regret that Russia remains unwilling to hold a Normandy Four summit.”
2022-02-17 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8968 (2022) · source
“We are grateful for the support for and solidarity with Ukraine that have been explicitly demonstrated worldwide. We reiterate the need to further explore all political means to ensure de-escalation. Reinvigorating the Normandy format and the Trilateral Contact Group is one of the necessary steps. Both include Russia and Ukraine as parties to the conflict and constitute the proper framework for the direct dialogue that Russia continues to avoid, while hiding behind its puppet occupation administrations. As long as Russia sets preconditions for direct dialogue between Ukraine and Moscow’s proxies, which are effectively a non-starter, progress on the implementation of the Minsk agreements will remain elusive.”
2022-02-17 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8968 (2022) · source
“For instance, most recently, Russia played another propaganda ace-up-its- sleeve, blaming Ukraine for genocide in the occupied territories. Those are fake and irresponsible allegations by Russia, aimed at hiding its responsibility for the occupation of Ukrainian territories and subsequent human rights violations there. Ukraine remains committed to the peaceful resolution of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict by political-diplomatic means. Ukraine wants peace, security and stability, not only for itself, but also for all of Europe. At the same time, I reiterate that, in the event that Russia opts for escalation, Ukraine will defend itself. We welcome all diplomatic and other efforts taken at different levels to prevent the worst- case scenario.”
2022-02-17 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8968 (2022) · source
“Unusual military activities on Ukraine’s borders that Russia has refused to explain, in violation of the Vienna Document 2011 on Confidence- and Security-Building Measures, are already having a detrimental economic and social impact on Ukraine, regardless of Russia’s ultimate plans. The military build-up on the ground has been coupled with a blockade by Russia of large parts of the Black Sea under the pretext of naval exercises. That has made navigation and international shipping extremely complicated, causing serious challenges for the major Ukrainian ports. All those actions conform to the concept of the hybrid war being waged against Ukraine, with disinformation and cyberattacks as the other important components.”
2022-02-17 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8968 (2022) · source
“Let me recall that, according to paragraph 4 of the document, Ukraine and Russia agreed on the establishment of security zones in the border areas of Ukraine and Russia, with the permanent monitoring and verification of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) on the border. Ukraine expects Russia to deliver on that agreed commitment, which could greatly contribute to resolution efforts. It is more urgent than ever, as about 150,000 Russian troops have been deployed in the vicinity of Ukraine’s borders. We note the statements by Russian officials on their withdrawal, although verification and credible proof are required.”
2022-02-17 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8968 (2022) · source
“We hope that the United Nations leadership today has learned its lesson from the occupation of Abkhazia and South Ossetia and that we all — Member States and the Secretariat — will be more vocal in defending the Charter of the United Nations. I have sent my letter on the issue to the Secretary-General, and I am waiting for a meaningful reply on his part. We call on Russia to take a constructive stance towards achieving progress within the framework of the existing negotiation formats. Otherwise, Russia will bear full responsibility for undermining the Minsk agreements and the process of peaceful settlement of the armed conflict. The Minsk agreements are the compilation of three documents, and we should approach their implementation from that standpoint, starting with the Minsk protocol of 5 September 2014.”
2022-02-17 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8968 (2022) · source
“I thank Secretary of State Blinken for his powerful statement of 16 February on the issue of the Duma’s decision. I thank Foreign Minister Le Drian of France for his clear statement. I thank Minister Cleverly of the United Kingdom for his statement; and I thank the representatives of Norway, Ireland, Albania and the many other partners and responsible members of the international community for their statements on the issue. I would like to ask the Security Council secretariat to include my letter, dated 16 February 2022, as part of the proceedings. It is important as well, as the soft and feeble reaction of the United Nations in 2008 resulted in the lasting occupation of parts of Georgian territory. I will not quote what former Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and the former President of the General Assembly said at that time.”
2022-02-17 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8968 (2022) · source
“Therefore, Russia has the choice to embarking upon the path of de-escalation and diplomatic dialogue, or experiencing a decisive, consolidated response from the international community. It is a matter of practical concern that the same pattern has been implemented before. The same language was used in 2008, despite the fact that the Russian Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs just referred to it as just an appeal from the Duma. In 2008, the appeal by the State Duma of the Russian Federation to then Russian President Medvedev concerning the need to recognize the Republic of South Ossetia and the Republic of Abkhazia preceded the presidential decree on such recognition, adopted on 26 August 2008. Let us not call it a “mere appeal” by the Duma.”
2022-02-17 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8968 (2022) · source
“Russia’s recognition of the so-called Donetsk and Luhansk People’s Republics will be tantamount to its deliberate withdrawal from the Minsk agreements. Such a move will deal a serious blow to the political diplomatic settlement that Ukraine and its partners have been actively engaged in promoting. Recognition of the so- called republics will have no legal implications. Russia will not succeed in masking the Russian-occupation administration of the temporarily occupied territories of Luhansk and Donetsk regions as independent entities, or in disguising its own involvement as a party to the armed conflict in Donbas. Instead, if the Russian President endorses the ruling of the State Duma, it will have much broader destructive consequences for the international rules-based order and the global security architecture.”
2022-02-17 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8968 (2022) · source
“Only this morning, Ukrainian Stanytsia Luhanska was shelled with heavy weaponry from the occupied territory of Donbas. Civilian infrastructure was damaged, including a day-care centre. Upon the instructions of my Government, I must bring to the attention of the Security Council another outrageous situation that undermines the Minsk agreements and the entire process of a peaceful settlement. Two days ago, the Russian Duma appealed to the Russian President to recognize the occupied parts of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions of Ukraine as so-called Donetsk and Luhansk People’s Republics. That decision runs counter to the commitments undertaken by Russia as a signatory to the Minsk agreements. Therefore, in my letter dated 16 February 2022, I requested the Security Council to consider the situation today. Our standpoint remains unchanged.”
2022-02-17 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8968 (2022) · source
“On this day seven years ago, the Ukrainian city of Debaltseve sustained a full-fledged offensive by Russian regular troops and their proxies. Heavy artillery and rocket shelling did not spare the Ukrainian military or civilians. All that happened despite the disengagement line agreed by Ukraine and Russia under the Minsk memorandum of 19 September 2014 — the second document in the set of Minsk agreements, which clearly defined Debaltseve as a Government-controlled area. That happened despite the fact that the Minsk package of measures had been signed a week earlier and that its first provision contained a commitment to a comprehensive ceasefire. That is just one example of how Russia violated the agreements almost immediately after signing them. Thus far, disregard for honouring commitments remains a hallmark of Russia’s strategy.”
2022-02-17 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8968 (2022) · source
“Still, I should perhaps acknowledge that it was important to hear the Russian envoy speak today, and I must end by repeating what my Foreign Minister recently said: “If Russian officials are serious when they say they do not want a new war, Russia must continue diplomatic engagement and pull back the military forces it has amassed along Ukraine’s borders and in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine. Diplomacy is the only responsible way.” Let us judge by actions, not by riddles and semantic puzzles.”
2022-01-31 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8960 (2022) · source
“Despite the Russian attempt to impede the briefing from being held, we believe that the Security Council and the wider United Nations membership have received today some very important information. The members of the Security Council need to take that information into account so as to make an informed decision, when appropriate, on acting swiftly and decisively in employing preventive diplomacy under Chapter VI of the Charter of the United Nations, which enshrines the Security Council’s responsibility to investigate any dispute or situation that might lead to international friction or give rise to a dispute. After listening to the Russian Ambassador today, I would like to ask how long Russia will pursue its clear attempt to push Ukraine and its partners into a Kafkaesque trap.”
2022-01-31 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8960 (2022) · source