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

“If Russia has any questions for Ukraine, it is better to meet and talk than to bring troops to the Ukrainian borders and intimidate the Ukrainian people. For Ukraine, the first priority today is to achieve a sustainable and unconditional ceasefire in Donbas. The ceasefire regime must be guaranteed and reliable and, on that basis, further steps can be taken. The intensification of the work in the Normandy format, including at the level of the leaders of the four countries, is an important prerequisite for next steps towards lasting peace in Donbas. We are ready to resume Normandy Four talks in all formats. The recent meeting of political advisers on 26 January in Paris, despite many differences, offers hope for a continuation of the negotiation process, which Ukraine will staunchly support.”
2022-01-31 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8960 (2022) · source
“Ukraine’s most principled position is that we have the inherent sovereign right to choose our own security arrangements, including treaties of alliance, which cannot be questioned by Russia. Moreover, that right is enshrined in many international legal instruments to which Russia itself is also a party. Ukraine will not bow to threats aimed at weakening Ukraine, undermining its economic and financial stability and inciting public frustration. That will not happen, and the Kremlin must remember that Ukraine is ready to defend itself. At the same time, we support the need to keep diplomatic channels with Russia open, if that prevents a shift to military tools. My President has recently reiterated that he is ready to meet with his Russian counterpart.”
2022-01-31 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8960 (2022) · source
“Once again, I have clear instructions from my Government to reiterate today the absence of any aggressive intention, as well as Ukraine’s strong commitment to peace. Today we heard from the Russian side that it does not intend to launch a war against my country, although perhaps one should rather speak about launching a new phase of the Russian aggression. That is a very important message, as we still lack credible explanations from Russia concerning its actions and military movements. Based on experience, we cannot believe Russian declarations, but only practical moves to withdraw troops from the border. Ukraine strongly rejects any attempt to use the threat of force as an instrument of pressure to make Ukraine and our partners accept illegitimate demands. There is no room for compromise on principal issues.”
2022-01-31 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8960 (2022) · source
“Ukraine is not going to launch a military offensive neither in Donbas, nor in Crimea, nor anywhere else. Ukraine sees no alternative to a peaceful resolution of the ongoing conflict and the restoration of its sovereignty and territorial integrity. Yet we are also seeing a surge in Russian disinformation campaigns, including false accusations of Ukraine plotting a military attack. That is not going to happen. This is direct evidence of Russia’s unwillingness to de-escalate and prepare to justify its possible further aggression. We are well aware of Russia’s history of ploys and provocations, and we will do everything possible to prevent another Mainila-type provocation by Russia.”
2022-01-31 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8960 (2022) · source
“Over the past year and a half, we have seen deliberate efforts by the Russian side to obstruct Trilateral Contact Group activities and even to prevent the finalization of the arrangements agreed, including at the expert level, within the Trilateral Contact Group in the security and humanitarian areas. All this is accompanied by Russia`s stubborn denial of being a party to the armed conflict that has been raging for eight years now in the Donbas region of Ukraine, attempts to impose a so-called direct dialogue with its puppet occupation administrations, as well as its refusal to engage in substantive discussion on a political settlement of the conflict. The question is: Why are all these Russian forces there? We have asked this question in different forums and have sent our own clear messages.”
2022-01-31 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8960 (2022) · source
“Nevertheless, shooting, shelling and sniper fire on Ukrainian positions and systematic use of attack unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) against Ukrainian troops have not stopped. We have lost 12 servicemen, killed in action, and 14 have been wounded since 22 December 2021. Just a few days ago, on 25 January, armed formations of the Russian Federation once again attacked the positions of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the area of Pyshchevyk, Donetsk region, using an attack UAV. VOG-17 fragmentation grenades dropped from that UAV resulted in severe injuries to two Ukrainian servicemen. The current impasse in the consultations process within the framework of the Trilateral Contact Group continues on practically all tracks, while the decisions adopted by the Normandy format leaders during their December 2019 summit in Paris remain unimplemented.”
2022-01-31 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8960 (2022) · source
“In the border areas outside Government control, illegal border crossings by cargo trains and truck convoys, delivering arms supplies to the Russian armed formations in Donbas, are a routine practice. Reports of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine (SMM) provide ample evidence of various illegal activities in the border areas. It is no surprise that restrictions of the OSCE SMM freedom of movement are on the increase, in particular in non-Government-controlled areas close to the Ukraine-Russia border. On 22 December 2021, the Trilateral Contact Group reached another understanding on resuming the ceasefire regime.”
2022-01-31 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8960 (2022) · source
“On top of that, on 26 January, the Russian fleet started another military drill in the Black Sea with the involvement of frigates, patrol ships, missile ships, assault landing ships and minesweepers. This reminds us of the ongoing heavy militarization of the temporarily occupied Crimea, the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov by Russia, which poses a serious threat to Ukraine, all littoral States and, thereby, the region. The significant reinforcement of combat capabilities of the Russian occupation forces in Donbas is another worrisome trend. Currently, these formations consist of up to 35,000 personnel, including around 3,000 servicemen of the Russian Armed Forces, on command posts and in other critical combat positions.”
2022-01-31 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8960 (2022) · source
“Against the backdrop of an unprecedented sequence of high-level diplomatic contacts over the past few weeks, a serious discussion in the Security Council is required more than ever to present facts, to listen to each other’s positions and concerns and to outline further actions towards de-escalation. The fact is that about 112,000 Russian troops have been amassed around Ukraine’s borders and in Crimea, and together with the maritime and aviation components, their number reaches about 130,000. Another fact is that the Russian troops are also being deployed to Belarus for the Union Resolve 2022 joint drills to be held from 10 to 20 February. They include, in particular, Iskander missile divisions, S-400 Triumf and Pantsir anti-aircraft systems, Sukhoi Su-35 4++ generation fighters.”
2022-01-31 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8960 (2022) · source
“What is going on along the border with Ukraine — where the Russian Federation continues its military build-up — falls under that qualification. It is important that Ukraine’s voice be heard today in the Security Council and not be lost in translation, as the position of my country has been delivered by a foreign ambassador in the Russian language. I ask the deputy to Mr. Vassily Alekseevich to tell him that my leadership speaks its own language and has its own ambassadors and spokespersons. There is therefore no need to interpret the words of Ukrainian officials in a foreign language, especially if it is done the way Humpty Dumpty spoke of the meaning of the words, even if Lewis Carroll appears to be a favourite writer of top Russian diplomats.”
2022-01-31 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8960 (2022) · source
“I would like to immediately apologize that my statement may not be within the five-minute limit, especially given the length of the Russian intervention. I would like to express gratitude to the Norwegian presidency for convening this briefing of the Security Council, of the need for which I spoke exactly a fortnight ago with Her Excellency the Foreign Minister of Norway during our meeting in New York. I express our thanks to the United States, which, as a member of the Security Council, in close coordination with Ukraine and partners, requested today’s briefing. And, of course, I express our appreciation for the briefing by Under-Secretary-General DiCarlo. It is a duty and a need for the Security Council to be fully informed in the case of grave threats to international peace and security.”
2022-01-31 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8960 (2022) · source
“We have no choice but to take additional prevention measures and reinforce the protection of our border, in line with the decision of the National Security and Defence Council of Ukraine. Strong preventive diplomacy is not optional. However, it is successful if it delivers practical results. Discussions, such as the one we have had today, must be followed up on by concrete actions to break the cycle of impunity and hold violators accountable.”
2021-11-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8906Resumption1 (2021) · source
“From our point of view, it is critical to explore the preventive diplomacy toolbox for discouraging an instigator from new flare-ups of violence, Imposing sanctions and other restrictive measures against an aggressor is a legitimate and adequate response aimed at restoring respect for the norms and principles of international law. It should not be blanketly regarded as an illegitimate coercive unilateral measure, especially when, from a permanent seat, an aggressor blocks any preventive actions by the Security Council. Preventive diplomacy must not lag behind developments on the ground. The current situation on the European Union border with Belarus serves as a test of our ability to ensure efficient prevention. Attempts to weaponize migration pose a serious threat to the entire region, and Ukraine may be among the most affected.”
2021-11-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8906Resumption1 (2021) · source
“I commend the Presidents of the General Assembly, the Economic and Social Council and the International Court of Justice for their commitment to ensuring a viable contribution by the respective principal organs to strengthening preventive activities. Ukraine also believes that the Secretary-General should use his authority, as envisaged in Article 99 of the Charter of the United Nations, more often and more explicitly by proposing actionable recommendations to resolve conflicts, protect civilians and ensure accountability for serious violations of international humanitarian law and international human rights law. We commend the focus on prevention in the report Our Common Agenda. We are ready to constructively engage in a follow-up process, in line with General Assembly resolution 76/6, adopted yesterday.”
2021-11-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8906Resumption1 (2021) · source
“Since 2010, in the Human Rights Council Ukraine has been promoting the initiative on the role of prevention in the promotion and protection of human rights violations. The relevant resolution on our proposal was adopted. I hope that events such as today’s open debate will contribute to overcoming the long-standing ideological, and even physical, separation of human rights issues in Geneva, on the one hand, and security issues in New York, on the other hand. The Security Council should demonstrate a holistic approach to ensuring respect for human rights and responding to their violations as an essential element of efforts to prevent conflicts and crisis situations.”
2021-11-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8906Resumption1 (2021) · source
“Ukraine highly appreciates the initiative of the Mexican presidency to hold this important open debate, and we express our gratitude to the briefers for their presentations. As the concept note (S/2021/888, annex) rightly points out, the maintenance of international peace and security through preventive diplomacy is an issue at the heart of the work of all United Nations principal organs. Insufficient preventive measures at early stages can only encourage an instigator to expand violence in terms of both intensity and geographical scope. The armed aggression against Ukraine serves as a powerful example. In some countries, a lack of democracy, no accountability and the absence of the rule of law make regimes prone to aggression. Restoring democracy and respect for human rights are therefore crucial to prevention.”
2021-11-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8906Resumption1 (2021) · source
“The Russian delegation has just presented its account of the nature of the escalation in Donbas today. It was said that is due a provocation led by the armed forces of Ukraine. I want to draw the attention of the Security Council to a statement made today by the Spokesperson of the President of the Russian Federation, Mr. Dmitry Peskov, in relation to what happened. (spoke in Russian) “We do not have the details of this confrontation. We do not know what provoked it. Our hope is that, in the near future, it will be possible to shed light on the details of what occurred, before drawing any conclusions”. (spoke in English) I now address a question to the Russian delegation: Should we listen the Spokesperson of the Russian President, or should we listen to the talking points written at Sixty-seventh Street in New York?”
2020-02-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8726 (2020) · source
“As long as Stalin’s heirs exist on earth, It will seem to me That Stalin is still in the mausoleum.” Today, when the glorification of Stalin, whose name is being whitewashed, is gaining traction in the Russian Federation, the memorials to that murderer, dictator and perpetrator of the 1930s genocide of the Ukrainian people are burgeoning. I wish to conclude my statement with a question to the Russian representative: Indeed, do the Russians long for war?”
2020-02-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8726 (2020) · source
“Ask of the soldiers who now lie Beneath the birch trees And let their sons tell you Whether the Russians long for war.” I say to the Russian representative that I think that the answer to the question as to whether the Russians want war in the context of today’s Russia will be the parade in Red Square on 9 May, when we will see whether parade participants will carry portraits of Stalin — that same Stalin who has been taken out of the mausoleum and seems is not out of people’s minds. “But how to root out Stalin’s heirs, said Yevtushenko in 1962. He continued: “Letsomerepeatoverandoveragain: ‘Compose yourself!’ I shall never find rest.”
2020-02-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8726 (2020) · source
“Given that today there was a discussion of a new leader of Donetsk — who is from Irkutsk and who was mentioned by Ambassador Heusgen, among others — I wish to recall the fact that some 90 years ago in a small Siberian town in Irkutsk Oblast with the romantic name Zima a son was born to the family of the Baltic German Alexander Gangnus, son of Rudolph Gangnus. In the context of today’s discussion, it is worth noting that he was the poet who, returning from a trip to the West at the height of the Cold War, wrote the well-known poem “Do the Russians Want War?”. I think that many have already guessed that I am talking about Yevgeny Yevtushenko, also known as Yevgeny Gangnus. “O, do the Russians long for war?”
2020-02-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8726 (2020) · source
“It was therefore decided that the day after tomorrow the General Assembly will consider the agenda item “Situation in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine”, namely, Donbas and Crimea, as it is fundamentally important that the liberation of Ukrainian territory cannot be said to be complete until the last Russian soldier has left the peninsula. I ask members to join us on Thursday in the General Assembly Hall. (spoke in Russian) To conclude my statement, I will speak in Russian so that the Russian people who are not indifferent to the present and the future of their country can hear me.”
2020-02-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8726 (2020) · source
“This can be done only together with the Council, including those members present here who are genuinely interested in bringing about peace in Europe as we are about to celebrate the seventy-fifth anniversary of the end of the Second World War and of the creation of the United Nations. Otherwise, our anniversary gathering in New York this autumn will be a gruesome memorial service rather than a celebration of global peace and security. Today’s discussion does not cover all the essential elements for putting an end to Russia’s war against Ukraine and, in particular, Russia’s temporary occupation of parts of our territory, including Crimea.”
2020-02-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8726 (2020) · source
“We look forward to holding local elections throughout the territory of Ukraine, including its temporarily occupied parts, once the security and political conditions allow it in accordance with Ukrainian legislation and the Copenhagen document of OSCE and under Ukraine’s control of its internationally recognized borders. We are working hard to finally bring this Russian- Ukrainian war, which was not started by us, to an end no matter how hard the other side tries to prolong it in order to bleed Ukraine dry. We will continue to achieve sustainable peace exclusively through peaceful diplomatic means in accordance with international law.”
2020-02-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8726 (2020) · source
“While the Russian Foreign Minister gives an endless list as to why the next Normandy summit is not feasible, we are working hard and doing our best to make it possible, as agreed by the leaders of the four countries. As President Zelenskyy stressed only a few days ago, we are fully committed to that endeavour, as evidenced by the new initiative on sectoral disengagement, where the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission will play a key verification role to ensure that a given sector is free from illegally armed groups, foreign armed formations and military equipment.”
2020-02-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8726 (2020) · source
“There are still more than 200 Ukrainians held in uncontrolled parts of Donbas, as well as more than 100 Ukrainians and Crimean Tatars in Crimea and Russia. The Ukrainian side successfully initiated two major mutual releases of detainees with Russia and work is ongoing to ensure their “all for all” release. I take this opportunity to call on colleagues to join me in our appeal to the Russian side to stop preventing unhindered access to detainees by the International Committee of the Red Cross and its search for missing persons. We believe that the agreements reached in Paris in December should expedite the resolution of the conflict. A full and comprehensive ceasefire and unhindered access 24/7 for the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission throughout the entire occupied territory would facilitate the process.”
2020-02-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8726 (2020) · source
“The militarization of occupied Crimea is in full gear as Russia is bringing in additional troops and sophisticated weapons. By launching the so-called Crimean bridge, Russia has not only grossly violated international law and its bilateral treaty obligations; it has created huge economic losses for Ukraine and an exponential environmental threat to the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov. Against all odds, Ukraine is working for peace. Achieving peace was a major motivator for Ukrainians who cast their votes in last year’s presidential and parliamentary elections. Another demand of the voters continues to be the return of those who have been illegally detained in the occupied territories of Ukraine and in Russia, who have been held in inhumane conditions and frequently tortured for many years.”
2020-02-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8726 (2020) · source
“In the south, as a result of Russia’s attempted annexation of Crimea, the peninsula has been turned into a human rights ghetto and a huge military base, upending regional security, as Russia uses it also for its Syria interventions. The number of political hostages has skyrocketed, and Ukrainians and Crimean Tatars have been repressed. A wall of silence has been built around the peninsula, repelling any international scrutiny, in violation of General Assembly resolutions. According to the Secretary-General’s report on Crimea and regular reports by the United Nations Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine, Russia is pursuing covert demographic change, bringing in more than 130,000 military and civil servants in and pushing the local population out.”
2020-02-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8726 (2020) · source
“The Russian Federation continues to supply its occupation forces with weapons, regular troops and mercenaries, to the extent that now they dwarf many European armies, with approximately 500 tanks, around 1,000 armoured combat vehicles and almost 800 artillery systems. Just last year, the Russian Federation sent more than 4,000 tons of weapons and munitions into the occupied territories of Donbas. As if that were not enough, Russia is also pursuing illegal passportization in the temporarily occupied territories of Donbas, which has now reached an industrial level — more than 125,000 persons were issued Russian passports there. The east is not the only front line in Ukraine.”
2020-02-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8726 (2020) · source
“We should not lose sight of the broader context of the Russian armed aggression against Ukraine. Six years of Russia’s military invasion in Donbas have killed more than 13,000 people and wounded more than 27,000. More than 1.4 million residents of Donbas are now internally displaced persons. The areas seized have turned into a land of fear and terror, with local economies destroyed and equipment belonging to enterprises wrecked or moved to Russia. More than 3.4 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance this year. In addition, this territory, according to the United Nations, has already become one of the most mine-contaminated in the world, as has been repeatedly mentioned today.”
2020-02-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8726 (2020) · source
“I pay tribute here to the memory of those protesters who were gunned down in cold blood in Maidan exactly six years ago, on the night of 18 February, which is now often called the Night of the Apocalypse; to the memory of heroes such as Sergiy Kokurin — ethnically Russian, by the way, a father of two, the first Ukrainian citizen killed in Crimea by a Russian sniper on 18 March 2014, during the military phase of the attempted annexation of the peninsula; to the memory of Klavdia Sytnyk, a young single mother, a paramedic who lost her life on the first day of this month under a barrage of Russian mortars while delivering medications to the wounded; and to the memory of 22-year-old Maxim, who was killed today by bullets supplied by the Russians. My son is about the same age.”
2020-02-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8726 (2020) · source
“Such vain attempts to twist the truth could have been viewed as pathetic and even laughable were it not a cynical insult to the memory of the thousands of my compatriots who have lost their lives defending their land.”
2020-02-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8726 (2020) · source
“Would members like to know how close Irkutsk is to Donetsk? An insignificant 6,000 kilometres. Still, he is local enough, in the opinion of Moscow, to rule in Donbas and to be involved in talks about Donbas’s future. There is no justification for someone from Siberia to be telling us Ukrainians what to do on our own territory. The unfortunate experience of Georgia and Moldova with direct dialogue with the Kremlin’s puppets proves that in the best-case scenario this is a road to nowhere; most probably it is a highway leading directly to a trap. As has happened before, Russia is trying to present the victim of its aggression as the perpetrator thereof. That is one of the hallmarks of its information war against Ukraine.”
2020-02-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8726 (2020) · source
“That is exactly why the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) Special Monitoring Mission, as we have learned from Mission reports, is still restricted in terms of freedom of movement and deprived of proper access to the Russian- Ukrainian border. Whenever reminded of its own Minsk commitments, Russia immediately points a finger at Ukraine, saying that it is we who should hold a so-called direct dialogue with the representatives of two so-called local authorities in the temporarily occupied part of Donbas. But what are they? How local is the recently appointed so-called acting head of government of Donetsk, Vladimir Pashkov? This citizen of Russia, born in Siberia, graduated from the Russian Military Pacific Navy School and, until recently, was the Vice-Governor of the Irkutsk region of Russia.”
2020-02-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8726 (2020) · source
“The Ukrainian leadership has confirmed that our commitment to ending this war and to adhering to the agreements reached remains unshaken, as does our resolve to repel any acts of armed aggression against Ukraine. In total disregard of the agreements reached in Paris in December last year by the leaders of Ukraine, Russia, France and Germany, over the past two months our positions have been shelled more than 400 times. Since the beginning of the year, 13 Ukrainian servicemen have been killed and almost 60 wounded. Can anyone call this a frozen conflict? Or, perhaps, a low-intensity conflict? It is a war — the only ongoing war in Europe. It is a full-scale war waged by Russian troops and Russia’s mercenaries, with weapons and ammunition supplied by the Russian Federation.”
2020-02-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8726 (2020) · source
“The attack carried out today, on the fifth anniversary of the Debaltseve tragedy, is particularly cynical. The Ukrainian armed forces provided an adequate response to that offensive — carried out by the Russian occupation forces with the use of Minsk- proscribed weapons — in the exercise of Ukraine’s inherent right to self-defence. It is clear that the Kremlin continues to pursue a strategy of escalation in Donbas, in flagrant violation of Russia’s obligations, which they have undertaken as a party to the Minsk agreements. As Ukraine’s President, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, said earlier today, “This is an attempt to disrupt the peace process in Donbas, which has started to move forward by small yet incessant steps”.”
2020-02-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8726 (2020) · source
“Would it make any difference if the Council then, in 2015, had legal grounds to adopt a mandatory document under Chapter VII? If the document had been endowed with a different legal nature, would that be a compelling enough reason for the Russian Federation to implement it? I have no time to dwell hereon the recent constitutional amendments, as proposed in Moscow, that effectively nullify the mandatory nature of international law and international treaties in the Russian Federation. We continue to believe that the Minsk agreements should be implemented, including by the Russian Federation, which so persistently dissociates itself from the agreements. Where do we find ourselves today? It looks as if the answer was given at 6 a.m. local time, when our positions were attacked.”
2020-02-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8726 (2020) · source
“First of all, I thank those members of the Security Council who have expressed their strong solidarity with Ukraine in the face of the ongoing Russian aggression. I also express our appreciation for the informative briefings today. When the Russian Federation called for a Council meeting on the occasion of the fifth anniversary of the package of measures, the third component of the Minsk agreements, one might have believed that Russia finally planned to report to the Council that it was going to honour the agreements made in this very Chamber in 2015. Although not adopted under Chapter VII of the United Nations Charter, resolution 2202 (2015) has been a very important message from the Council to all parties to implement the agreements, most important to respect a comprehensive ceasefire.”
2020-02-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8726 (2020) · source
“Let me express the hope that by the time of the formal anniversary events in October, we will all, as truly united nations, by our actions — not our words — and by stopping ongoing military aggression and de-escalating regional conflicts, have the moral right to joyfully celebrate rather than sombrely mark yet another anniversary of the Organization, which was created by the people and for the people. The famous opening words of the United Nations Charter begin “We the peoples of the United Nations ...”. We must do our utmost not to fail our peoples.”
2020-01-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8699 (2020) · source
“We trust that the new non-permanent members will be fully dedicated to the fulfilment of their important mission. I come to this anniversary not to speak of futility or failure nor of doubt and despair. I come to raise a voice of confidence in both the future of the United Nations and the fate of the human race. Those are not my words. They belong to the Head of State who spoke them at the meeting dedicated to the twentieth anniversary of the United Nations Charter in 1965, during a major regional conflict.”
2020-01-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8699 (2020) · source
“Let me remind those present that two years later, when the Russian Federation put forward its own proposal, we provided our partners in the Security Council with Ukraine’s vision of the major elements of the mandate of a possible peacekeeping operation. Now, five years later, President Zelenskyy of Ukraine points to the importance of the deployment of peacekeepers along the Ukrainian-Russian border. Certainly, the quality of work of the Security Council largely depends on the quality of its membership. At this point, I wish to commend the work of those non-permanent members who have left the Council upon completion of their two-year term. Our good friend and neighbour, Poland, which contributed significantly to the Council’s activities, will be particularly missed by us.”
2020-01-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8699 (2020) · source
“Despite the fact that the drafters of the Charter envisioned, in Article 27, the intent to remove the prospect of a Council member casting a vote when a conflict of interest was clearly present, that integral part of the Charter is often overlooked for the sake of political expediency. We regret that, under such circumstances, the Council was unable to take action on Ukraine’s request in 2015 regarding the deployment of a robust United Nations-mandated multinational peacekeeping force in occupied Donbas. After a couple of years of inaction, the Russian Federation expressed doubt that such a request had even been made.”
2020-01-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8699 (2020) · source
“Those statements, with all the right words, glorify the supremacy of international law and the triumph of the principles enshrined in the United Nations Charter — except for one thing — they were made by those who, upon obtaining permanent membership of the Security Council and joining the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe and the Council of Europe, unleashed, in this century, more than one war against their immediate neighbours. Therefore, let us not judge them by the ornate style of their statements but by their concrete deeds and compliance with the United Nations Charter.”
2020-01-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8699 (2020) · source
“As we approach another milestone, we view Viet Nam’s initiate to convene today’s meeting as a useful opportunity to take stock of how the purposes and principles of the United Nations Charter are being honoured or not. Today’s meeting also takes place against the background of escalating regional conflicts and the ongoing war between United Nations Members in Europe. One thought I would like to share with those present is that among the dozens of statements on the United Nations Charter that I have read, there are several, to which I myself would subscribe.”
2020-01-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8699 (2020) · source
“There are ongoing wars among the Members of the United Nations and old and new democracies work hard to ensure unity at the national level — based on democracy, human rights, rule of law and social cohesion. That key message is consistently promoted by my own President, Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Since 1945, there have been very many Security Council meetings, other events dedicated to the United Nations Charter and anniversaries of all kinds. Let us recall the Security Council summit held in January 1992. If you read its 146 pages of verbatim records, members will see how good the speechwriters of all the Heads of State and Government who took part in it were. Members will see how euphonic and saturated with ideas the speeches were — although, rather amusingly, they occasionally departed from reality.”
2020-01-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8699 (2020) · source
“He also insisted that every nation that would become a member of the Organization would have to fully share the principles that united the nations during the war and fight for them. Today, I fully subscribe to the words spoken by the representative of Ukraine in 1945. Yet, today, 75 years later, as a representative of the country that fought for the name of the United Nations and appealed for optimism and as a representative of the country that is the victim of an ongoing armed aggression on the part of a permanent member of the Security Council, can I say that we made the right choice and fulfilled the aspirations of the founding fathers and mothers, as one delegate put it, of the United Nations? Indeed, there is no unity among nations.”
2020-01-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8699 (2020) · source
“Let us recall that, back in 1945, at the San Francisco Conference, the very name of our Organization was the subject of intellectual debate, in particular with regard to the proposal by the prominent United States President Franklin Delano Roosevelt to name it the United Nations. It is interesting that those countries that opposed that name were afraid that there might be a conflict among the nations in the future and that the name — the United Nations — would not correspond to reality. I wish to repeat the response of the Ukrainian representative to those concerns in San Francisco. “The delegation of Ukraine believes that one should not have such a pessimistic outlook on the future of our Organization. It should be constructed in a way that would avoid the possibility of a division or conflict among nations”.”
2020-01-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8699 (2020) · source
“It is now up to the experts to investigate it and to find answers to the question of what caused the crash. To do so, our experts must receive unconditional support for their investigation into the incident. That brings me to the end of my statement on that matter. Before proceeding, I would like to put on record that my delegation aligns itself with the statement to be delivered later on behalf of the European Union. We appreciate, Mr. President, your timely initiative to launch the year marking the seventy-fifth anniversary of the United Nations with a discussion on the importance of upholding its founding document — the Charter of the United Nations.”
2020-01-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8699 (2020) · source
“Allow me to congratulate you, Mr. President, on your country’s membership of the Security Council and its presidency for the current month. It is no small feat, by any account. I am sure Viet Nam will excel in shouldering that important responsibility. At this point, I would like to make the following statement on behalf of Canada, Germany, Sweden and Ukraine. We thank all who expressed their condolences in connection with the crash of the Ukraine International Airlines passenger aircraft near Tehran International Airport. We are grateful for the words of support to the families and loved ones of the victims of the tragic catastrophe. One hundred and seventy-six innocent lives were lost — citizens of Iran, Canada, Ukraine, Sweden, Afghanistan, Germany and the United Kingdom. The circumstances surrounding the catastrophe are still unclear.”
2020-01-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8699 (2020) · source
“Our Organization has to move from traditional to cost-effective and smart peacekeeping, using all the necessary technologies and capabilities. As we approach the seventy-fifth anniversary of the United Nations next year, we have to be prepared to give an honest assessment of the peacekeeping activities of the Organization. We must be prepared to assess all its achievements and gaps in the face of contemporary challenges in order to make our peace efforts stronger than ever before.”
2019-05-07 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8521 (2019) · source
“Ukraine has committed itself to the protection of civilians policy, including by recognizing the Kigali Principles, and Views the issue of the protection of civilians as one of the most important tasks of peacekeeping operations. One of the practical ways for achieving improvement in that regard is by eliminating the practice of caveats, which often becomes an obstacle for a swift reaction by the United Nations. We also support the importance of protecting the environment in peacekeeping operations, which could make them a more effective instrument in curbing challenges on the ground. We welcome the ongoing implementation of the environmental performance and risk management framework in peacekeeping operations. It is now important to translate into action data collected from the framework in the course of peacekeeping operations.”
2019-05-07 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8521 (2019) · source