Colleagues, we are convened here again in response to Russia’s continuing and intensifying attacks against Ukraine.
On 11 June, Russia struck a power station in Kherson, plunging the city into rolling blackouts and disrupting access to clean water.
On 15 June, Russia reportedly damaged energy facilities in Poltava Oblast.
And then, on the night of 16-17 June, Russia conducted a devastating assault on the city of Kyiv, the third largest nationwide strike of the war, raining hundreds of drones down on densely populated residential areas.
The civilian death toll is at least 28, with hundreds injured.
Attacks and civilian deaths have only continued in the nights following. These attacks are not decreasing and they’re not random. They are a part of a deliberate and intensifying campaign of violence, calculated to deepen the suffering of Ukraine’s people.
On top of this, Russia continues to peddle false narratives, seeking to justify their full-scale invasion of Ukraine. But there can be no justification for what they have done.
It has been 101 days since Ukraine agreed to an unconditional ceasefire. And it is now reported that Russian military casualties have reached 1 million.
These dreadful milestones keep piling up and yet Russia shows no sign of stopping. While Ukraine has actively engaged in genuine steps towards peace, Russia has engaged in destruction.
Meanwhile, President Putin poses as a mediator of peace in the Middle East.
We don’t need more false promises.
We need genuine peace.
So again, we call on Russia to comply with international law, including the UN Charter.
We call on Russia to agree to an unconditional ceasefire.
Russia initiated this war; we call on Russia to end it.
