Statement by the Delegation of Ukraine at the UN General Assembly plenary meeting under agenda item 124 entitled “Strengthening of the United Nations system”

Mr. President,

Ukraine aligns itself with the statement delivered by the European Union.

Our delegation would like to make remarks in its national capacity.

As one of co-sponsors of the draft resolution 76/262 entitled “Standing mandate for a General Assembly debate when a veto is cast in the Security Council” Ukraine welcomes today’s debate.

However, we regret that the UN Security Council has yet another time failed to exercise its primary responsibility, when an important resolution on the DPRK’s nuclear and ballistic missiles programs was vetoed at the Security Council last month.

Ukraine strongly condemns the recent intercontinental ballistic missile launch conducted by the DPRK and the series of other ballistic missile launches conducted by the Pyongyang throughout 2022 in blatant violation of relevant Security Council’s resolutions, which undermine international peace and security as well as the global non-proliferation regime.

We urge the DPRK to fully implement and respect all UN Security Council resolutions related to its weapons of mass destruction (WMD) and ballistic missile programmes, by abandoning all nuclear and any other existing WMD and ballistic missile programs in a complete, verifiable and irreversible manner.

It is worth recalling that the DPRK can never have the status of a nuclear-weapon State in accordance with the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT). Therefore, Pyongyang must immediately return to compliance with the NPT, and the IAEA Comprehensive Safeguards Agreement, including by signing and ratifying the Additional Protocol thereto, as well as the Comprehensive Nuclear Test-Ban Treaty.

Mr. President,

While we are discussing the nuclear and ballistic missiles threats stemming from the DPRK, we cannot but draw the attention to the ongoing aggression of russia against Ukraine.

From the beginning of russia’s war against Ukraine, the russian troops have been attacking Ukrainian territory, its peaceful cities and villages with various types of conventional weapons, including cruise and ballistic missiles, which have already led to the terrible toll among civilians.

On 3 March 2022, the whole international community became aware of yet another example of Russia’s reckless behavior, when the Kremlin put on high alert its nuclear deterrent forces and started to threaten the international community with nuclear weapons.

In addition, Russia’s armed forces attacked and seized Ukrainian nuclear power plants and other facilities. The constant missile attacks on the Ukrainian territory by Russia, in particular in the direction of nuclear power plants pose an unprecedented threat to nuclear security in Ukraine, Europe and the whole world.

Russia must strictly abide by the laws and customs of war, including those related to nuclear facilities.

While the Chornobyl NPP has been liberated from the occupying forces, the Zaporizhzhia NPP (ZNPP), the largest in Europe, remains under Russia’s control. It is clear that the actions of the Russian troops and representatives of its energy companies at the ZNPP and in the temporarily occupied city of Enerhodar is nothing less than nuclear terrorism.

There cannot be any justification for the obstacles created by the aggressor country to the joint efforts of Ukraine and the international community to de-occupy the station and restore its sustainable operation under the IAEA safeguards.

To conclude, Mr. President, failure of the Security Council to adopt the resolution in response to the actions of the DPRK, as well as other cases of the use of veto in recent years by the permanent member to block different resolutions, including on Ukraine, while ongoing aggression or atrocity crimes were being committed, once again prove the need of deep and comprehensive reform of the United Nations, in particular in the context of veto right.

Thank you, Mr. President.