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Mr President, delegates, distinguished representatives of the member states,
Three years ago, Russia unleashed a full-scale aggression against its sovereign neighbour – Ukraine.
Three years ago, Russia, a permanent member of the UN Security Council, blocked the Council from taking action mandated by the UN Charter to uphold international peace and security.
Three years ago, the International Court of Justice ordered Russia to stop its military activities in Ukraine. That did not happen.
Three years later, today, Russia, a 140 million nuclear armed state has failed to take even a fifth of Ukraine’s territory. It has failed to break 40 million Ukrainians will to be free and sovereign. But Russia will have lost a million killed and wounded, while attacking an innocent neighbour.
There is no shred of doubt that Russia is the unprovoked aggressor in this war.
Let me be unmistakably clear – we all want peace. Ukraine above all wants peace. The only one opposed to peace resides in the Kremlin. It’s Russia who continues to bomb Ukrainian cities and kill civilians every day, while pretending to engage in a peace process.
Latvia welcomes all efforts to bring a comprehensive, just, and lasting peace for Ukraine.
A peace that is rooted in the UN Charter and international law. Just as the assembly voted today.
A peace that guarantees Ukraine’s sovereignty, territorial integrity, and freedom to choose its own future. Just as all our countries want.
A peace that ensures that Russia is unable to resume its brutal aggression.
In principle, peace is easy to achieve.
Russia needs to stops fighting – that is the end of the war. But if Ukraine stops fighting, that is the end of Ukraine.
Ukraine has exercised its right to self-defence, clearly covered in Article 51 of the UN Charter. Therefore, countries providing support to Ukraine are not parties to the war.
Mr President,
The Kremlin has a new favourite talking point – about that the “root causes” of the war, and that they need to be addressed.
Very well, let’s talk about those root causes.
Contrary to the Kremlin’s twisted fantasies, this war is not about NATO, or Ukraine’s wish to join NATO.
NATO is not a party to the war, neither are the member states. Nor is it the reason for the war. Ukraine’s NATO membership was not debated either in 2014, when Russia invaded for the first time, or 2022, when the full-scale aggression started.
So, this war is not about Ukraine. It is not about fascism in Ukraine, or protecting the rights of Russian speakers. No international human rights organisation has recorded anything of the sort, and that is why we have international organizations.
The Kremlin’s blatant lies have been debunked every single day that Ukraine continues to stand strong and resilient as a democracy.
The root causes of the war are Russia’s imperial, colonial ambitions. Russia seeks to restore its imperial sphere of influence and change the international order. Russia seeks to control the future, choices and resources of sovereign countries and peoples, not just in Europe but in Africa and other continents.
Therefore, ladies and gentlemen, addressing the root causes of war requires stopping Russia’s imperial conquest, once and for all.
Therefore, we call on all countries, their parliaments and governments to significantly increase their aid to Ukraine – political, economic, military, financial, humanitarian – any assistance to Ukraine. The stronger Ukraine is, the stronger its position at the diplomatic table.
Mr President,
This is not an isolated war, nor is it just a European issue. Its consequences are felt across the globe, affecting the food security, energy security, resources at some of the world’s most vulnerable regions.
According to several estimates, Russia’s war against Ukraine has cost around 2% of the global GDP.
Impunity for aggression in one place creates a domino effect, emboldening efforts to undermine international order elsewhere. So, Russia must face international accountability for the crime of aggression.
But we will continue to stand with Ukraine in its existential fight. Just as we did today, showing that rights matter, that UN matters, that General Assembly and the will of independent countries matter.
I thank you! Slava Ukraini!