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Speech: At the one year mark of Russia’s invasion, UK support for Ukraine will never be time-limited: Foreign Secretary James Cleverly statement at the UN

And to end with a victory for Ukraine and a just and enduring peace, based on the UN Charter. Three months ago, I travelled to Kyiv. Ukraine’s Foreign Minister, who is sitting here today, greeted me. He had promised to host me for lunch, as representatives of countries often do. But I arrived just after another Russian missile attack on civilian infrastructure had knocked out the water and electricity supply to that city. Dmytro kept his promise to me, and all of us in this room today need to keep our promise to Ukraine and keep our promise to the world to protect and defend the UN Charter. Today, we mark one year since President Putin began his full scale invasion of Ukraine. That is why the UK is proud to be co-hosting the Ukraine Recovery Conference in London this June. With poisonous disinformation and with cyberattacks. For these reasons, and many more, Putin cannot – must not – win in Ukraine. Because what’s at stake on the battlefield is the international order itself, and that is at the heart of the United Nations. The UN Charter, territorial integrity,international law. These things exist to protect countries that do not themselves have big and powerful armies. And it is to protect them from the aggression of those countries that do. It’s why three quarters of the entire membership of the UN have repeatedly voted to condemn this invasion in the General Assembly. But President Putin ignores the will of the United Nations. He doesn’t care about the UN Charter. Thank you. It was a clear demonstration that whilst the Ukrainians may have been hit – and hit hard – their spirit will not be broken. That restaurant wanted to show me that they would not give up, that they would keep calm and carry on. Over the past year, Putin has shown that he is willing to wage a war of attrition. The twentieth century’s two world wars have shown us what a horror that would be. Hundreds of thousands more dead and wounded. Global shortages of food and fuel. Skyrocketing prices. His land grabs in eastern and southern Ukraine show us that his heart is set on imperial expansion. But, 800 Russian soldiers a day are dying for his hopeless ambitions. They are paying for his ego with their lives. But Dmytro, Kyiv, wasn’t going to let Putin’s bombs stop him from doing his job. The restaurant that hosted us rigged up a generator, and brought in liters of bottled water, and they provided the lunch. Those of us in this chamber have a special responsibility to the UN Charter. We cannot allow Putin’s invasion or his threats to succeed. We should not deviate from our resolve. The UK is proud of the support we have given to Ukraine. But military assistance and humanitarian aid are not enough. One year on, one year into this terrible war, let us in this chamber send a clear message: until Ukraine prevails, until its sovereignty and territorial integrity is restored, until the Charter is upheld. We will keep the promises we made to the UN Charter and the Ukrainian people. When this war is over, and it will be over with Ukraine’s successful defense of its territory. We must never allow Ukraine again to be vulnerable to attack. We must ensure that Ukraine is safe and secure and economically viable. With cuts to grain and energy shipments. But what Ukraine wants – what we all want – is for this war to end now. As he sees that his aggression against Ukraine is failing, we should expect him to try and strongarm us into backing down. Only this can bring an end to the food and fuel shortages that the whole world is suffering from. With threats of escalation. On 24 February last year, he told us it was not Russia’s ‘plan to occupy Ukrainian territory.’ On 8 December, he called his illegal so-called annexations ‘a significant result for Russia.’ And will give the Ukrainians all the help they need, for as long as it takes Together, we will mobilise the combined might of public and private finance to ensure that Ukraine gets the reconstruction investment that it needs. At the end of the second World War, the United Nations saw a unique thing in human history. Powerful, victorious nations chose to limit their own power to protect the countries less powerful than themselves.That is the bottom line. It’s why the UN Charter needs to be enforced. Our support for Ukraine is not, and will never be, time-limited. Our defense of the UN Charter is not, and will never be, time-limited. We’ve all given and received diplomatic hospitality in our job. But that is the kind of diplomatic hospitality that shows something really important. We must be prepared for this. And we must recognise that these things are a sign of weakness rather than a sign of strength. Mr President, thank you. Mr Secretary General, thank you. With every dirty coercive instrument at his disposal.

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