Ukraine: Address by High representative/Vice-President Josep Borrell to the UN Security Council on the Russian aggression

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Ms President, Distinguished Members of the Council,

We meet today as a Permanent Member of this Council, Russia, continues carrying a brutal, unjustified and unprovoked war of aggression against Ukraine. As many have said today, it is a blatant violation of United Nations Charter.

Russia launched a war against Ukraine. It is the first interstate war in Europe since World War II. Ukraine defends itself in line with its right to self-defence under United Nations Charter, and it does so against a nuclear-armed state.

The international community must remain determined to support Ukraine's freedom, independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity within its internationally recognised border.

Some have declared here today that they love peace. Oh, yes, they love peace - no one loves peace more than the Ukrainians.

[So,] they want peace quickly, [in] the quickest possible way. But they have not mentioned that the quickest possible way [towards peace] is Russia withdrawing their troops from Ukraine. This would be the quickest possible way. Yes, there is another way, Ukrainian surrender. But we do not want this kind of ending [of] the war.

They are desolated, because the fact that we have been providing support to Ukraine has not finished the war. No, but it has allowed Ukraine to defend itself. We want Ukraine to continue defending itself.

So, to all "lovers of peace", please take into consideration that it matters the way [how] this war is going to end. It matters. One way of ending this war, which is Ukrainian surrender in front of the violation of their international integrity, will be a "good example" for the perpetrator of this violation to start [doing it] again and again.

So please, my call to all "peace lovers" is to keep in mind that what we are talking about is the freedom of one country, one people, who are defending themselves against an aggression.

United Nations reports are unequivocal. The deliberate destruction of civilian homes and infrastructure, depriving the civilian population of services necessary for its survival. Particularly when the winter season starts - and two-thirds of electricity production capacity of the country has been destroyed.

The recent transfer of short-range ballistic missiles by Iran to Russia, and in doing also with North Korea, is becoming an enabler of Russian aggression. This represents a sustained material escalation and a direct threat to European security.

These weapons will be likely used against Ukrainian civilians, adding another layer of suffering and destruction of this war.

The European Union remains unwavering in its support for Ukraine and to achieve a lasting peace. Yes, because we want peace, we too want peace, but based on international law and United Nations Charter. As do more than 110 partners who supported the Summit [on Peace in Ukraine's] Joint Communiquéof this last meeting on a peace framework, supporting again sovereignty, independence, and territorial integrity of an aggressed country.

At the end of the day, it is up to Ukraine, and only to Ukraine, to define the terms in which they want this war eventually to end.

We need to pay more attention at the constant violations of the embargo against Russia. We need to be concerned by the circumvention of sanctions that is making the war longer.

We have to reinforce the legitimacy of our support to Ukraine by being consistent with our values and applying these values everywhere.

This is the best way of supporting Ukraine. Consistency is of the essence.

In a world that is becoming less multilateral and more and more transactional, and in order to prevent this slide to have more transactions and less norms, we need to work very hard.

This is the best way to support Ukraine for a peace, a just peace, that makes the aggressor fail.

Thank you.

Link to the video: https://audiovisual.ec.europa.eu/en/video/I-261098

Press remarks after the UN Security Council meeting on the Russian aggression

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