So, President, I will tell you what lessons we have learned: President, Russia has called this meeting allegedly to discuss “lessons learnt from the Minsk agreements for conflict prevention.” The Secretary-General called for respect for the UN Charter, and reiterated there was no alternative to diplomacy. So President, we yet again call on Russia to end its illegal invasion, withdraw from Ukraine and return in good faith to the negotiations aimed at establishing a just, and sustainable peace based on the principles of the UN Charter. Thank you. Russia was planning for war while we called for diplomacy and deescalation, and Russia continues to choose death and destruction while the world calls for a just peace. Russia lied when we warned of its intention to attack Ukraine. If Russia is committed to agreements it freely signed up to, why did it unilaterally attempt to annex Ukrainian territory in violation of those commitments? Urgent diplomatic efforts were underway to engage Russia through the OSCE Vienna Document process – Russia did not turn up to the meetings – through the Normandy format, and the NATO-Russia Council. What was Russia’s response? In this Chamber, the Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Vershinin said the allegations that Russia was going to attack Ukraine were “baseless.” Four days later, President Putin signed a decree recognising Luhansk and Donetsk as independent entities, which tore up the Minsk Agreements. Three days after that, Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, bringing suffering to people in all areas of Ukraine and trampling on the UN Charter. Almost one year on, that invasion continues, with no sign that Russia intends to bring it to an end. A year ago today, we met in this Chamber to discuss the Minsk Agreements. At that time, Russia had built up a force of over 130,000 troops on Ukraine’s borders, inflaming tensions and causing widespread concern. Thank you, President, and thank you to Assistant Secretary-General Jenca and Mr Sajdik for their briefings. In short, Russia is yet again feigning an interest in peace while seeking to justify its ongoing military action against Ukraine. The message from this Council then was clear: despite the challenges, there had to be urgent de-escalation and dialogue between all parties. USG DiCarlo, and the representatives of the OSCE, repeated this message.
