YouSaid · the spoken record

President Zelenskyy

lines on the record: 77
first: 2022-04-05
most recent: 2023-09-20
sittings or episodes: 7
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 all those present for their attention and thank the President for the invitation and the opportunity to address the Council. Glory to Ukraine.”
2023-09-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9421 (2023) · source
“Those groups will be tasked with developing a list of decisions and legislative proposals to be implemented in order to ensure the corresponding point of the peace formula is fulfilled. We are ready to hold a founding summit for leaders. We will then convene 10 conferences at the advisory, diplomatic and parliamentary levels and in accordance with the 10 points of the peace formula. Subsequently, the drafts prepared will be submitted for consideration by Heads of State and Government at the relevant summits. Therefore, all peace-respecting nations of the world will be able to actively participate in the restoration of peace. Cooperation is always the key word for Ukraine in international relations. It is also the key word for peace. Therefore, let us allow peace to prevail. May our institutions and our cooperation be ever stronger.”
2023-09-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9421 (2023) · source
“If the reform of the United Nations and its organs is necessary to that end, then we should not be afraid of such reforms. We are ready to work together with States Members of the United Nations participating in the peace formula to work on relevant draft resolutions and amendments to the United Nations Charter. I would like to make it clear to everyone in the world what exactly Ukraine is proposing when it appeals to the nations of the world and calls on them to join in implementing the peace formula. Every country can demonstrate its leadership within the framework of one or several, or perhaps even all, points of the peace formula. We will establish groups based on the various points of the peace formula in which national security advisers to Heads of State and Government and diplomatic representatives can work jointly.”
2023-09-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9421 (2023) · source
“We should not wait for the aggression to end — we need to act now. Our aspirations for peace should drive such reforms. When I was preparing the Ukrainian peace formula, I based its points exclusively on the principles of the Charter of the United Nations and resolutions adopted by the General Assembly. That is precisely what will enable the Ukrainian peace formula to become global. The nations that engage with the formula realize that they are working for the rules-based international order, for the protection of the territorial integrity and sovereignty of States, for the protection of human rights and for the prevention of aggression and genocidal policies. Naturally, the epicentre of such efforts should be in this very Chamber of the Security Council and, to an even greater extent, the General Assembly Hall.”
2023-09-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9421 (2023) · source
“First, there must be a complete withdrawal of all Russian troops and military formations, including its Black Sea Fleet or whatever leaky remnants of it are left, as well as the withdrawal of all Russian mercenaries and paramilitary formations from the entire sovereign territory of Ukraine within our internationally recognized borders as of 1991. Secondly, Ukraine’s effective control over the entirety of its State borders and exclusive economic zone, including in the Black and Azov Seas, as well as the Kerch Strait, must be fully restored. In fact, only the implementation of those two points will result in an honest, reliable and complete cessation of hostilities. Reforms of our international institutions have usually been made in the wake of great tragedies and major wars.”
2023-09-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9421 (2023) · source
“As for territorial integrity, that element of both the Charter of the United Nations and our peace formula is inextricably linked to the issue of clearing our State’s sovereign territory from the occupiers. Occupation is an inexhaustible source of dynamite lurking beneath the international rules-based order. Therefore, I will suggest concrete steps to be taken for the strengthening of the security architecture, using Ukraine as an example. The following steps are highly specific, just like us Ukrainians.”
2023-09-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9421 (2023) · source
“The Russian invasion of Ukraine has shown what such a mechanism could entail — among others, powerful sanctions against the aggressor, not just at a stage when an incident such as Bucha has already happened but at the stage when the build-up of an invading army is still going on. Anyone wanting to start a war should see exactly what they stand to lose before making such a fatal mistake. The issue of the application of preventive sanctions should be automatically submitted for consideration by the Security Council when any member of the General Assembly reports a threat of aggression. Ukrainian soldiers now are doing with their blood what the Security Council should be doing through voting — stopping the Russian aggression and upholding the principles of the Charter of the United Nations.”
2023-09-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9421 (2023) · source
“We need to expand participation in and access to the activities of the Security Council and its subsidiary bodies for all members of the General Assembly that are not acknowledged aggressors. At the same time, any participation in Security Council membership should be suspended when a member resorts to aggression against another nation in violation of the Charter. The third step is the creation of a system for preventing aggression through early response to actions that violate States’ territorial integrity and sovereignty. It is time. The nations of the world should agree on a mechanism that responds to aggression in order to protect others. It should be one that all nations would want to ensure their own security.”
2023-09-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9421 (2023) · source
“Ukraine believes it is unfair that there are billions who do not have permanent representation on the Council. The African Union should have permanent representation. Asia deserves broader permanent representation. It cannot be considered normal when nations such as Japan and India or those of the Islamic world are not permanent members of the Security Council. If we take into account the changes that have taken place in Europe, notably the fact that Germany has become one of the key global guarantors of peace and security — that is a fact — then it is also a fact that Germany deserves a place among the permanent members of the Security Council. Latin America must have permanent representation on the Council, as should the Pacific States. However, we should not focus all our attention only on those top seats.”
2023-09-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9421 (2023) · source
“If it is impossible to stop the war because all efforts to do so are blocked by the aggressor or by those who condone the aggressor’s behaviour, we must bring that issue to the attention of the General Assembly. In the event of two thirds of votes reflecting the will of nations of Asia, Africa, Europe, both Americas and the Pacific region — in other words, a global qualified majority — the veto can be effectively overcome, and those General Assembly resolutions made legally binding on all Member States. The second step is that the Security Council must be fully accountable to the nations of the world. I welcome the proposals of various leaders to expand the representation of nations on the Council. The composition of the permanent members of the Security Council should reflect current realities and justice.”
2023-09-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9421 (2023) · source
“Five hundred and seventy-four days of full-fledged Russian aggression means 574 reasons for changes in this Chamber. And the number of votes in favour of those changes actually amount to billions. An absolute majority of people in the world want to live in a world free of aggression, and the only ones opposed to that are a few obsessed individuals in Moscow. The veto should not serve those who are obsessed with hatred and war. We are seeing increasing support at the United Nations for the idea that the power of veto should be voluntarily suspended in cases of mass atrocities. But we can also see that Russia will not voluntarily give up that stolen privilege, and that the General Assembly should therefore be given real power to overturn the veto. That is the first necessary step.”
2023-09-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9421 (2023) · source
“We hear the word “inequality” too often in the General Assembly these days, with all kinds of nations, large and small, talking of inequality. And it is precisely inequality that renders the United Nations ineffective. It is regrettable that the Security Council is nothing but the world’s most visible platform, and I believe and know that the United Nations is capable of more. I am confident that the Charter can actually work in favour of peace and security globally. However, for that to happen, the years of discussions of projects for United Nations reform must be translated into a viable reform process. The priority should not merely be representation on the Council. The use of the power of veto is an issue that demands reform, and it could be a key reform. That is something that can restore the power of the United Nations Charter.”
2023-09-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9421 (2023) · source
“The power of veto in the hands of the aggressor has forced the United Nations into this impasse. Today any nation, whatever it is — whether it is one of hundreds of millions or a small nation; whether it is a nation that bravely defends its independence or one whose long history of independence can help others; whether it is a State in need of help or a State that can provide genuine support; whether it is a State that relies on its army or one that considers the Charter of the United Nations, not the army, to be its first and last line of defence — regardless, the current United Nations system still leaves every single one of those countries with less influence than the veto power possessed by a few and misused by one, Russia. And that is to the detriment of every other member of the United Nations.”
2023-09-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9421 (2023) · source
“I would now like to present some of the specific details from the peace formula, in particular point 5, which concerns the implementation of the United Nations Charter and the restoration of Ukraine’s territorial integrity and the world order. The whole world can see what has rendered the United Nations impotent. Regrettably, the seat on the Security Council that Russia occupied following the collapse of the Soviet Union, using behind-the-scenes manipulation, is now occupied by liars whose job is to whitewash Russia’s aggression and genocide, and any action at the United Nations that could have stopped it, either from the Security Council or the General Assembly, has been rendered null and void by the privilege accorded the aggressor in that seat.”
2023-09-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9421 (2023) · source
“Humankind can no longer hope for United Nations assistance in defending the borders of sovereign nations. World leaders are seeking new platforms and alliances that may be able to reduce the disastrous scale of these problems, which are being addressed within these walls with rhetoric rather than real solutions, and with efforts to compromise with killers rather than save lives. We must be uncompromising in defending life if we are to succeed in saving lives. However, I would not be here today if Ukraine had no proposals for just such specific solutions. In my address to the General Assembly yesterday (see A/78/ PV.4), I said that the Ukrainian peace formula had become the basis for modernizing the world’s existing security architecture and for restoring the real power of the Charter and the rules-based international order.”
2023-09-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9421 (2023) · source
“I am grateful to all countries of the world who have recognized the Russian aggression as a violation of the Charter of the United Nations. Ukraine is exercising its right to self-defence. Helping us to do that with weapons, imposing sanctions and putting all possible pressure on the aggressor, as well as voting in favour of the relevant draft resolutions, means helping to defend the Charter. The General Assembly has adopted resolutions that clearly acknowledge the fact that Russia is the only progenitor of the war, and yet nothing has changed for Russia at the United Nations. However, it is situations like this one that have changed everything for the United Nations itself. We should recognize that our Organization is at an impasse where the issue of aggression is concerned.”
2023-09-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9421 (2023) · source
“President Zelenskyy (spoke in Ukrainian; English interpretation provided by the delegation): Exactly 574 days of pain, loss and struggle have already passed since the start of the full-scale aggression launched by a State that for some reason is still represented here among the permanent members of the Security Council. Russia has killed at least tens of thousands of our people and turned millions into refugees by destroying their homes. A majority of the world recognizes the truth about the war. It is a criminal and unprovoked aggression by Russia against our nation, aimed at seizing Ukraine’s territory and resources. But it is not only that. Through its aggression, this terrorist State is willing to undermine all the international norms designed to protect the world from wars.”
2023-09-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9421 (2023) · source
“Moscow must be deprived of its ability to produce missiles, finance military activities in Ukraine and threaten the world with sabre-rattling. We encourage responsible and peace-loving nations to continue seeking relevant opportunities to deprive Moscow of the fossil-fuel revenues it uses to finance the war. In that regard, the decision to cap the price of Russian oil is a first step in the right direction, although the upper limit requires further adjustments. It is completely useless to beg Moscow for peace or to appeal to its common sense. Moscow can only be forced into peace. That is the only language that it understands and to which it responds. As soon as the strategy is applied by everyone, a sustainable peace, as well as renewed respect for the principles of the Charter of the United Nations, will be within reach.”
2022-12-06 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9208 (2022) · source
“First, it undermines the Russian propaganda in the countries of the global South because they see that Russia is a problem while Ukraine is a rescuer. Secondly, it supports Ukrainian agriculture and farmers amid the hardship of war. We continue to work on enlarging the group of countries that support this humanitarian programme and increasing the scope of financial contributions to it. We harbour no illusions about Russia’s readiness for peace. For the time being, it is a militarized and brainwashed society ruled by war criminals and educated with hatred. As long as they have resources, they will continue to attack Ukraine, the global security architecture and the international order based on the Charter of the United Nations.”
2022-12-06 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9208 (2022) · source
“In the framework of the programme, on 4 December the first ship delivered 25,000 tons of Ukrainian wheat for Ethiopia through the port of Doraleh in Djibouti. Yesterday another ship set off for Ethiopia loaded with 30,000 tons of wheat. Two more ships are now being loaded at the seaport of Chernomorsk, and they are due to deliver 60,000 tons of wheat for Somalia and the Sudan. Overall, within the framework of that important humanitarian initiative, our State is going to send more than 60 ships to Ethiopia, the Sudan, South Sudan, Somalia, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Kenya, Yemen and other countries. As I have said, more than 30 countries and international organizations have already offered their support to the Grain from Ukraine programme. There are two reasons why the programme is important.”
2022-12-06 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9208 (2022) · source
“I listened carefully to the statement by the representative of Kenya, especially on the issue of food security. Let me say it loud and clear — the only root cause of that problem is the Russian war on Ukraine, and as soon as the war is stopped, 99 per cent of the issues the representative raised will be resolved. Another important development I would therefore like to touch on is the fact that the past week was the start of the practical implementation of the Grain from Ukraine initiative. As of now, more than 30 countries and the European Union have declared their financial participation in the humanitarian Grain from Ukraine programme initiated by President Zelenskyy. Pledges have already amounted to almost $190 million.”
2022-12-06 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9208 (2022) · source
“President Zelenskyy (see S/PV.9202). It includes 10 steps that would lead us all to sustainable and lasting peace. Let me remind Council members that the list includes radiation and nuclear safety, food security, energy security, the release of all prisoners and deportees, the restoration of Ukraine’s territorial integrity in accordance with the Charter of the United Nations, the withdrawal of Russian troops, justice, the prevention of ecocide and of escalation and legal confirmation of the end of the war. I am grateful to the members of Security Council that have emphasized the plan’s viability. We invite Member States to take the lead and to participate in any of the 10 points of the plan. It is time to start its implementation.”
2022-12-06 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9208 (2022) · source
“When the instigator of a war, the party responsible for terror, can block any attempt by the Security Council to fulfil its mandate, the result is a dead end. It is absurd that the right of veto is granted to a party waging a criminal war. We can and must lead the world out of this impasse. We cannot be held hostage by one international terrorist. Russia is doing everything to make electricity generators a more powerful tool than the Charter of the United Nations, but we can restore the Charter’s real meaning. We need the Council’s decisive action. Glory to Ukraine.”
2022-11-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9202 (2022) · source
“The Council should provide a clear assessment of the actions of the terrorist State in accordance with Chapter VII of the Charter. In that regard, Ukraine proposes that the Council consider a draft resolution condemning any form of energy terror. Let us see if anyone in the world, including Russia, is willing to say that using terror against civilians is a good thing. I would like to confirm Ukraine’s invitation for the United Nations to send a team of experts to examine the critical infrastructure of our country. It will be necessary in order to carry out a proper assessment of the damage to the infrastructure that supports the lives of tens of millions of people. Finally, justice must be restored within the United Nations itself. A terrorist State should not participate in any voting concerning its own aggression and terror.”
2022-11-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9202 (2022) · source
“That is why I would like to re-emphasize that it is time to support Ukraine’s peace formula. We must leave terror no opportunity to make its mark in the world. That is why we are turning to our partners for support to protect our skies. We need modern and effective air-defence and missile-defence systems, and I would like to thank those who are offering and supplying them. What can the representative of the terrorist State tell the Council now? We can obviously see that peaceful people are suffering. I therefore urge him to take concrete steps to protect humankind and life. For a long time Russia has been trying to turn the Security Council into a platform for rhetoric, but the Council was created as the world’s most powerful platform for decisions and actions, and we can demonstrate that together now.”
2022-11-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9202 (2022) · source
“All of that is harming our energy infrastructure. Besides the residential buildings that have been hit, hospitals, schools and transport have been damaged — everything has been affected. Russia’s terror has led to a complete blackout, not just in Ukraine but in our neighbour Moldova as well. As power supplies are cut off, it is important to understand what Russia wants to achieve with this impact. Energy terror is a weapon of mass destruction. When the temperature is below 0°C and millions of people are left without electricity, heat and water, that is an obvious crime against humanity. Among the members of the Security Council today sit representatives of a State that offers the world nothing but terror, destabilization and disinformation. Russia’s formulas offer nothing but that.”
2022-11-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9202 (2022) · source
“The very next day after I presented Ukraine’s peace formula in Indonesia at the summit of the Group of 20 — or rather the Group of 19 — we received 10 Russian missiles for every item in the peace formula, and that reaction has continued to go even further. We liberated Kherson, and as soon as the Russian army fled the city it began to methodically devastate it on a daily basis. Last night more missiles fell in the Zaporizhzhya region. This time, a hospital’s maternity ward was hit. The Russian Federation took the life of a two-day-old child, killed by a Russian missile. People have died and scores are injured. Today a residential building was hit in Vyshhorod, leaving 35 people injured and killing four. Today, in just one day, we have been the target of 70 missiles. That is Russia’s formula of terror.”
2022-11-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9202 (2022) · source
“President Zelenskyy (spoke in Ukrainian; English interpretation provided by the delegation): We are awaiting a very firm reaction from the world to today’s Russian terror — from our responsible partners and friends, and not just observers — a reaction from all who genuinely acknowledge the Charter of the United Nations. We are doing everything we can. Ukraine has presented a peace formula, and the world has heard it. It has 10 points on how to restore the full force of the Charter, which Russia has violated, in order to guarantee the security of Ukraine, Europe and all the peoples of the planet who are suffering from the consequences of Russia’s aggression. In response to our peace formula, Russia is following up with the items that make up its formula of terror.”
2022-11-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9202 (2022) · source
“Annexation is the kind of move that will pit him, alone, against the whole of humankind. A clear signal is now needed from every country in the world. I believe in their ability to act. I thank the French presidency for the opportunity to participate in this meeting and thank members for their attention. Glory to Ukraine.”
2022-09-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9138 (2022) · source
“Not only are we defending our independence and the right to life of our people in Ukraine and in this war, but we are also defending international law. As such, Ukraine must receive all the necessary defence and financial support to ensure the aggressor’s defeat. Fourthly, Ukraine should receive clear and legally binding guarantees of collective security, since the independence of our country is of such fundamental importance for many elements of global security. The world also needs a respective security architecture. Fifthly — and I want everyone to understand how important this is — Russia’s recognition of the sham referendums, its implementation of the so-called Crimea scenario and its attempts to annex Ukrainian territory will mean that there is nothing to talk about with the President of Russia.”
2022-09-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9138 (2022) · source
“A State cannot remain a permanent member of the Security Council with the right to the veto if that same State is waging a genocidal policy, threatening nuclear strikes and keeping the world teetering just one step away from a radiation disaster. Russia should be excluded from all international organizations and, if such an exclusion is procedurally complicated, its participation should be suspended. Secondly, there is a need for new and tougher global sanctions against Russia. Any annexation in the modern world is a crime against all States that consider the inviolability of borders to be vital for themselves. Thirdly, Russia’s criminal actions do not change anything for us. We will not succumb to the blackmail of terrorists.”
2022-09-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9138 (2022) · source
“But what was the reason behind that? The answer lies in the fifth and final threat I want to mention, namely, the annexation of the captured territories. That is the most brutal violation of the Charter of the United Nations. It is an attempt to steal the territory of another State and erase the norms of international law. It is also a highly cynical attempt to force the male population of the occupied territory of Ukraine to mobilize into the Russian army in order to send them to fight against their own homeland. There is only one way to stop all of that. First, Russia must be met with complete isolation in response to everything it does.”
2022-09-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9138 (2022) · source
“Not only does that concern the Caucasus or Siberia, where Russia is sparing no effort to mobilize as many men as possible from indigenous populations, but it also concerns the Ukrainian territory of Crimea, which Russia seized back in 2014. Of all ethnic groups in Crimea, Crimean Tatar men received the most Russian draft notices in proportion to the total number. Frankly speaking, that is a genocidal policy. Fourthly, before the eyes of the entire world, Russia is conducting sham referendums in the occupied territory of Ukraine. People are being forced to fill out papers while under threat from submachine guns, all for the purpose of coverage on television. The alleged results of the sham referendums have been prepared well in advance, just like the issue of compulsory passports for the populations of the occupied territories.”
2022-09-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9138 (2022) · source
“The second threat is Russia’s use of nuclear blackmail. The threat of use of nuclear weapons has become a consistent narrative by Russian officials and in Russian propaganda. That proves that Russia has no right to possess nuclear weapons, as it is unable to guarantee the safety of the world — not even from the threat of use of nuclear weapons. Thirdly, last week I addressed the General Assembly and presented Ukraine’s formula for peace (see A/77/PV.7). Russia’s response to that real path to peace was to announce mobilization. Moreover, Russia is deliberately focusing its mobilization policy on the indigenous peoples in the territories it controls.”
2022-09-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9138 (2022) · source
“Anyone in the world could now give hundreds of examples of how Russia has violated and continues to violate the international legal order, destroying the main body of international law. It constantly provokes escalation by responding to any proposals for talks with renewed brutality on the battlefield, causing even greater crises and posing even greater threats to Ukraine and to the world. Of all the threats, I will name but five that are already occurring as we speak. First, Russia has ignored the International Atomic Energy Agency’s call for the immediate deoccupation of the Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant and the termination of any hostile actions against nuclear facilities in Ukraine. That serves as additional proof that Russia is deliberately keeping the world on the brink of radiation disaster.”
2022-09-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9138 (2022) · source
“President Zelenskyy (spoke in Ukrainian; English interpretation provided by the delegation): The Security Council is an institution that works according to well- known and well-defined rules, and the representatives of Russia are still following them. So far, they have not been using weapons instead of words in the Chamber. They are not knocking out their neighbours’ chairs in the Council, but surely no one would be surprised if the Chamber were turned into a zone of violence by the representatives of Russia. Russia already despises the Charter of the United Nations; Russia is already breaking the rules of the world order. It is therefore only a matter of time before it destroys the last international institution that can still function, which is why I am now calling on the Council to take action.”
2022-09-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9138 (2022) · source
“I also thank members for their kind attention and the Chinese presidency for arranging my virtual participation in this meeting. Glory to Ukraine.”
2022-08-24 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9115 (2022) · source
“We support that initiative and reaffirm that, in order to build a future, it is necessary to leave in the dustbin of history that which has always prevented humankind from living in peace, namely, aggression and colonial ambitions, which are what Russia brought to Ukraine. I believe that we can surely build a future, and it would be good and symbolic to hold that summit in Ukraine and that the world’s future is decided on the territory of Ukraine is decided. Whether we will have a future at all is also being decided at the Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant and in our seaports and in Donbas and in Crimea. Our independence is the world’s security. I thank the Council for this opportunity to brief it on the situation in our country.”
2022-08-24 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9115 (2022) · source
“A relevant draft resolution will be submitted to the General Assembly for consideration at its seventy-seventh session. In order to restore a sense of justice to international relations, we must all join in compelling Russia to recognize that the inviolability of borders and peace are unconditional values for all nations. That is why the independence and integrity of our country are crucially important to international relations. Preserving our independence, guaranteeing our borders and restoring economic ties with Ukraine will bring back the true power of the Charter and save the world from the crises we are all being forced to face. Secretary-General António Guterres has the ambitious intention to organize a Summit of the Future next year.”
2022-08-24 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9115 (2022) · source
“If Russia is not stopped now, through a victory for Ukraine, all these Russian murderers will inevitably end up in other countries — in Europe, Asia, Africa and Latin America. The Russian war criminals leave their tracks everywhere. We must all unite as soon as possible and act decisively to wipe out every trace of Russian missiles and ensure that no more cities are destroyed by Russian artillery and that there are no more threats of a nuclear disaster. Russia must release the territory it is occupying in Ukraine in order to end the food crisis. Russia must withdraw from our lands and seas so that no country in the world can ever again disregard the United Nations Charter and the conventions that are binding on all humankind. Russia must be held accountable for the crime of aggression against Ukraine.”
2022-08-24 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9115 (2022) · source
“It rewards murderers and encourages executioners. That is not just a threat to Ukraine, although thousands of Ukrainians have been killed by the Russian invaders and dozens of our cities have been destroyed by Russian artillery. Russia does not abide by the fundamental conventions on prisoners of war, something that has already been mentioned in today’s meeting. The Russian occupiers’ deliberate killing of Ukrainian prisoners of war in Olenivka has become one of the most terrible pages in the history of Europe. We need a United Nations fact-finding mission in Olenivka immediately, with a mandate that should cover all Ukrainian prisoners of war currently held by Russian forces. There is no war crime that the Russian occupiers have not yet committed on the territory of Ukraine.”
2022-08-24 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9115 (2022) · source
“The energy crisis in Europe, the threat of large-scale hunger, the political chaos created for African and Asian countries and the price hikes all over the world — surely those issues are all too much for a single country whose representative is sitting in the Security Council Chamber with the rest of the members? I will mention one more issue, which is values. We should have a frank discussion about the fact that values are perceived differently in different parts of the world, with different approaches taken to them. But everywhere in the world, life has value. Peace has value. Economic prosperity has value. Every country that respects itself and its people punishes murder, and not just those who are its executioners. However, there is one country that behaves differently and is proud of doing so.”
2022-08-24 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9115 (2022) · source
“We in Ukraine do not believe that the United Nations was established to debate issues in the twenty-first century that should have long ago been relegated to the past. Nevertheless, I am grateful to the Secretary-General, the President of Türkiye and all the other responsible members of the international community who are striving to end the food crisis, for which Russia alone is responsible. In the coming weeks, we must do our utmost to expand the Black Sea Grain Initiative in Ukraine. Turning now to another issue, energy, it is a fact that Russia is deliberately trying to impose energy poverty on tens of millions of people and to deprive them of regular access to basic goods by deliberately raising energy prices. That is all being done by a permanent member of the Security Council that continues to use the privilege of its veto right.”
2022-08-24 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9115 (2022) · source
“Fortunately, we have managed to create a situation in which Russia was forced to accept the terms of the international community and allow grain exports from Ukrainian ports to be resumed. That has relieved some of the tension in the global food market but has not lifted the threat completely. Only a full, unobstructed resumption of Ukrainian agricultural exports can guarantee that tens of millions of people around the world will have something to eat. Even now, in the twenty-first century, is it not strange that we must still fight to save tens of millions of people in a number of countries from artificial hunger caused by the insane aggression of a single country? That is also a fact.”
2022-08-24 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9115 (2022) · source
“The Zaporizhzhya power plant has six reactors. In the Chornobyl incident in 1986, only one reactor exploded. The International Atomic Energy Agency mission should take permanent control of the situation at the Zaporizhzhya plant as soon as possible and Russia should unconditionally stop its nuclear blackmail and completely withdraw from the plant. Russia has also weaponized hunger. It is a fact that the Russian blockade of Ukrainian ports has increased the deficits in an already destabilized global food market. That has led to a dangerous situation in various parts of the world that has compounded the effects of the drought in Europe, which is the worst in 500 years.”
2022-08-24 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9115 (2022) · source
“We can all now see how much the world depends on our independence and on whether Ukraine is at peace, our people are safe, and the integrity of our territory and the viability of our borders are guaranteed. Any aspect of the terrible aggression against us will ultimately be related to one global crisis or another. What is happening right now? Russia has put the world on the brink of a nuclear catastrophe. It is a fact that the Russian military has turned the territory of the largest nuclear power plant in Europe, the Zaporizhzhya power plant, into a war zone. That is a fact. Russia’s armed provocation, shelling and deployment of terrorists on the territory of the station under the Russian flag have ensured that Europe and neighbouring regions now face the threat of radioactive pollution. That is a fact.”
2022-08-24 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9115 (2022) · source
“President Zelenskyy (spoke in Ukrainian; English interpretation provided by the delegation): I thank everyone for their support and would like to convey our greetings from an independent and free Ukraine, as it continues its fight against Russian terror. Just recently, as I was preparing this statement, I was informed that Russia had launched missiles against railway cars in a train station in the Dnipro region. A number of people were killed and some 50 injured, and unfortunately the death toll could increase. That is our life every day now. That is how Russia prepared for today’s meeting. Today our country is celebrating its independence.”
2022-08-24 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9115 (2022) · source
“President Zelenskyy (spoke in Ukrainian; English interpretation provided by the delegation): I thank the Council. This is a great honour for us. I thank the Council for its support.”
2022-06-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9080 (2022) · source
“Countries around the world may vary in their attitudes and viewpoints, but they are similar in the way they commemorate victims — not just members of the military, but every person and child who dies as a result of the tragedy of war. Usually those who are killed unjustly are treated with respect and sympathy. It is only the killers themselves who do not commemorate those whom they have killed. I would like to ask the Council — and I will be very grateful — to commemorate all the Ukrainians who have been killed in this war, all the adults, the children, the tens of thousands of people. I ask the Council to commemorate them with a minute of silence. The members of the Security Council observed a minute of silence.”
2022-06-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9080 (2022) · source
“I urge the Council to take advantages of those tools. It is imperative to deprive the Russian delegation of the opportunity to manipulate the United Nations. It is imperative to make it impossible for Russia to stay on the Security Council as long as its terror continues. It is imperative to establish a tribunal to investigate everything that the Russian military has done to Ukrainians. It is imperative to determine a legal definition of the term “State terrorism” at the United Nations level. All of Russia’s actions must receive a legal assessment and global sanctions for their destruction of the international legal order. I thank the Council for its attention. I want to add just one more thing.”
2022-06-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9080 (2022) · source