Today marks three years since Russia’s unprovoked full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Today, we remember the millions of Ukrainians displaced, the tens of thousands of civilians killed, the lives destroyed by President Putin’s imperial ambition.
As the Secretary-General said again yesterday, this war is illegal, a clear violation of the UN Charter and a threat to the core principles of the UN.
No-one wants peace more than Ukraine.
But the terms of that peace matter.
Only a just peace, one that honours the terms of our Charter, will endure.
And the terms of the peace must send a message that aggression does not pay.
This is why there can be no equivalence between Russia and Ukraine in how this Council refers to this war.
If we are to find a path to sustainable peace, the Council must be clear on the war’s origins.
We also owe it to the people of Ukraine who have suffered so much.
Russia chose to launch a war of aggression against a sovereign state, but again today is seeking to obfuscate that fact.
We must also insist on respect for the UN Charter, and Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, within its internationally recognised borders.
Upholding the Charter is the responsibility of every member of the UN, and especially every member of this Council.
Every member.
What, how and on what terms this war ends can only be decided by negotiations with Ukraine.
No peace will be sustainable without Ukraine’s consent.
We regret that our proposals making these points clear were not taken on board, and as such we could not support this resolution.
But we share the ambition to find a lasting end to this war, supported by robust security arrangements that ensure Ukraine never again has to face Russia’s attack.
As my Prime Minister has made clear – the UK remains ready to play its part.
We will continue to provide Ukraine with the support it needs to protect and defend itself and its people.
We remind the Council that Russia could achieve this tomorrow – by ceasing its aggression and withdrawing its forces from all of Ukraine.
