Statement of Permanent Representative of Ukraine to the UN Mr. Sergiy Kyslytsya at the UNSC meeting on Ukraine

Distinguished members of the Security Council,

I will not dignify the diabolical Russian script that is rather a letter of application for an upscale seat in Hell by commenting on it.

I would like to use this opportunity to thank the parents of every Ambassador here, but the Russian Ambassador; to thank the people of the democratic nations who put these Ambassadors in their seats; to tell the children of those Ambassadors that they should be proud of their parents, that they have voted in favor of the draft resolution. I thank my good friend Nicolas from France, Ronaldo from Brazil, my good friend Hoxha from Albania, Linda, Barbara, Mona, my good friend from Mexico, Martin from Kenya, Ireland, Ghana, Gabon. I thank dozens and dozens of co-sponsors who would have voted in favor of the resolution should they have had a chance to vote, but they will have a chance in days to come in the General Assembly.

The draft recalls the obligation of all states under article 2 of the UN Charter to refrain in their international relations from the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any state. The draft calls on Russia to stop its offensive against Ukraine. And the memories are very fresh.

The Security Council was discussing the ways to prevent the war quite recently in this very Chamber. And at the very same moment deadly airstrikes were dropped on civilian heads across my country. And the Russian troops crossed the Ukrainian border from the territory of Russia. The territory of Belarus was used for missile attacks, and the troops were marching from the occupied Donbas and Crimea. Last night was the most horrific for Kyiv since, just imagine, 1941, when it was attacked by Nazis.

Last night Kyiv was attacked by someone who pretend they are fighting with neo-Nazism. Therefore, I am not surprised that Russia voted against. Russia is keen on continuing its Nazi-style course of action. The Kremlin regime should not be called Russian regime. The Kremlin regime should be called Rushist regime. A couple of hours ago my President said and I quote: “Tonight the enemy will use all the forces at their disposal to break our resistance, vile, cruel, and inhuman. Tonight they will storm. We must all understand what awaits us. We have to persevere tonight.

The fate of Ukraine is being decided right now.” End of quote. We have just heard that the Russian Ambassador wanted to present assurances from himself, and from his leadership, that it is all provocation. And he urges us not to yield to provocations. Do you remember how many times he said that and his deputy said in this very room that there would be no invasion, no attacks? Do you remember how during the previous session he was walking out of the Chamber trying to call someone, not knowing what was going on? How we can trust you? How can we trust your assurances?

You have no idea what is on the mind of your President. Your words have less value than a hole in a New York pretzel. Russian Federation that occupied by treachery the seat of the Security Council in 1991, violates daily not only the Charter but also the Provisional rules of procedure of this Council. Because should Russia not have violated the Provisional rules, then Mr. Nebenzia would have followed Article Rule 20. Let me quote: “... for the proper fulfillment of the responsibilities of the Presidency, he should not preside over the Council during the consideration over particular question with which the member he represents [, that is the Russian Federation,] is directly connected. [Here the rule reads.] Shall indicate his decision to the Council not to preside.” So, since the Council is not ruled by the current presidency by rules, I will also probably be 'unruly'. And I will ask all of you to dedicate a moment of complete silence, to pray or to meditate, if you do not believe in God, for peace. To pray for the souls of those who have already been killed, for souls of those, who may be killed. And I invite Russian Ambassador to pray for his salvation.

Please, ladies and gentlemen, let us spend a moment in complete silence. Thank you! [Applause] Let me continue with my statement. I am saddened, however, that there is a small handful of members that seem to still be tolerating the war. Any “complex history or historical context” could not be used to justify what is going on. And I may say to some that it is exactly the safety of your nationals right now in Ukraine why you should be the first to vote to stop the war to save your nationals in Ukraine. Nothing could justify missile shelling of a kindergarten and an orphanage, hospitals that happened today.

These attacks are war crimes and violations of the Rome Statute, whether you are party to it or not. We are collecting these and other facts and we will immediately send them to The Hague. Responsibility is inevitable. Nothing could justify today´s deliberate shelling by Russian warships of a Moldovan-flagged chemical tanker with the Russian crew - imagine! - and a Panamanian-flagged cargo ship near Odesa port in the Black Sea. It is a flagrant violation of international law of the sea.

Is it time to discuss historical reflections against the backdrop of the alarming situation in the Chornobyl nuclear power plant, seized by the Russian armed groups? They detain the staff of the station, not allowing them to rotate, as required by technical safety rules. Another matter of alarm is that the control levels of gamma radiation, dose rates, in the exclusion zone have already been exceeded because of the damage of the topsoil due to the movement of a large amount of heavy military equipment, including tanks, and as a result there is contamination by radioactive dust.

Dear Security Council members, As of the previous midnight, almost 140 persons were killed on the Ukrainian side and 316 persons were wounded during the first day of the Russian invasion.

Many objects of civilian infrastructure were ruined. To stop the advance of the Russian tanks a young man – hero – blew himself up on a bridge. He killed himself to destroy the bridge not to let the Russian tanks to go ahead. But the destruction takes place not only in cities. Eighty per cent of infrastructure of the small town of Shchastya, located on the government-controlled part of Donbas, has been completely destroyed, according to the local administration. Ironically, the name of the town is translated as “happiness” Shchastya – happiness – what a grotesque irony. It speaks volumes what kind of happiness the Russian Federation is bringing to Donbas, to Ukraine, to other nations. Sooner or later.

If we continue to allow Russia to go ahead with its diabolical plan. And rest assured, you Ambassador, there will be no hospitality to your troops on our territory. Ukraine has been executing its right to self-defense according to the article 51 of the United Nations Charter. It's not Russia that executes this right. Your perverse reading of the Charter is so sick that it is impossible to interpret. Calling occupational troops peacekeepers?! Claiming the right to self-defense?! Lunacy!

The Russian troops are suffering heavy losses: aircraft, helicopters, tanks, trucks, and most importantly, personnel. You can stop a vote in this Chamber, but what may stop the war is unfortunately the bodies, and thousands of bodies of the Russian soldiers, that will be delivered to their mothers in Russia.

Whether you like it or not, we have to defend our territory, we have to defend ourselves. On our territory! Thousands of Ukrainians have already joined the Ukrainian army or territorial defense forces. And their resolve and dedication is the best proof that we will not surrender! Even if you succeed to temporarily occupy additional chunks of our territory.

Ukraine has broken diplomatic relations with Russia, something that should have been done 8 years ago. We call on our partners to follow our example or to find other ways to sever diplomatic relationships with Russia. We call on international organizations to ban or suspend Russia’s membership.

The latter happened today when the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe by overwhelming majority, almost by consensus, adopted the decision to suspend the Russian Federation from its rights of representation in the Committee of Ministers and in the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe. In the first place you should not have been invited to the Council of Europe. You were invited to the Council of Europe, this temple of human rights, in the middle of the Chechen war, in the very middle of the Chechen war, even before the Khasavyurt agreements. For hypocritical political reasons the Europeans then were of the opinion that it was better to invite you, and you were invited, in the middle of the war while you were killing thousands and thousands of your own citizens in Chechnya.

We count upon the proper reaction by the international community to the medieval atrocities by Russia in Ukraine. Today a number of countries have already imposed additional sanctions on Russia. The burden must be heavy. And if you say that sanctions are nothing, I assure you that the bodies of killed soldiers of Russia is not nothing. Even if you are a completely diabolical person!

We are sincerely grateful to the UN for its prompt decision to support the humanitarian response in Ukraine as well as highly commending the UN efforts to encourage major humanitarian donors to make additional funding available.

I thank the Secretary General for his statement to this effect. And may I make a plea? Stop harassing the Secretary General! Stop attacking him! Show respect to the institution! Stop wiping your feet on the Secretary General! He is a dedicated supporter of the UN Charter. We remain open for negotiations. But don’t put votes in our mouth! Don’t manipulate our statements about negotiations! We are sick of your interpretations. Speak on your own behalf! Don’t speak on our behalf! [It was stated by] the President of Ukraine that we are open to negotiations on a permanent basis and we have been saying this all along.

It is you who killed Normandy 4! It is you who killed the Minsk agreements! All that gibberish about who said what, and when in Normandy 4 by no means justify the offensive. By no means can justify thousands and thousands of your troops on our territory. Your president's call to the Ukrainian army to remove the Government of Ukraine... Are you crazy? Show respect for the core principles, enshrined in the UN Charter – sovereign equality, non-use of force or threat of force against the territorial integrity and political independence. In my opening remarks I said that parents of the Ambassadors here, all Ambassadors but you, are proud of their children. And the children of the Ambassadors are proud of their parents. It is so painful to think what your family think about you, when you lie every day. The Russian people deserve peace, democracy. The Russian people deserve liberty. And they will have it. If not tomorrow - because tomorrow it is not possible - then probably in the near future.

 I thank you.