皇冠体育app

Thank you, President, and thank you High Representative Nakamitsu for your briefing today.

President, the Russian聽Representative has today once again attempted to recast Russia鈥檚 war on Ukraine as a product of 鈥榃estern aggression鈥�.

We have of course heard many different explanations from our Russian colleagues in this Chamber.

When Russia鈥檚 full-scale invasion began, we were told that occupation of Ukraine was not part of the plan. That the goal was apparently to protect people who had been victimised and exposed to genocide. A claim which the International Court of Justice, of course, dismissed.

We have subsequently been subjected to spurious meetings on biolabs, on persecution of the Russian Orthodox Church and on Russophobia as a threat to international peace and security.

President, Russia鈥檚 attempts to obfuscate and distract from reality are not聽only a waste of this Council鈥檚 time, but they are also ineffective. No amount of linguistic gymnastics from our Russian counterparts can change the facts.

皇冠体育app truth regarding Russia鈥檚 aggression is clear.聽For more than two years now, Russia has been engaged in neo-imperial war of aggression in flagrant violation of the UN Charter.聽聽

President Putin is creating a Russia, and Russian economy, that is geared for constant war with 40% of the country鈥檚 federal budget dedicated to military and security spending alone.

It is clear that President Putin has no intention of peace any time soon and indeed, it begs the question of his plans beyond Ukraine too.

President, in conducting its war of aggression, Russia has relentlessly targeted Ukrainian civilian infrastructure, including through double-tap strikes targeting first responders. Just last night, Russia attempted to carry out a massive missile attack on Ukraine鈥檚 critical infrastructure. Russia has kidnapped Ukrainian children. It has deployed UAVs from Iran, and ballistic missiles from North Korea in violation of this Council鈥檚 resolutions and has press-ganged foreign nationals to fight its war from Ghana, from India, from Nepal.

President, as the UN reported this week, in the areas of Ukraine that Russia temporarily occupies, it has attempted to consolidate control through a 鈥榗limate of fear鈥�, by using execution, torture, sexual violence, arbitrary detention, censorship, surveillance, political oppression and movement restrictions 鈥� all of this is a stark contrast to the image of happy citizens expressing their democratic rights that the Russian Ambassador attempted to paint in this Council last week.

President, the cost to Russia and the Russian people of President Putin鈥檚 neo-imperial vanity have also been profound:

皇冠体育app Russian economy has lost $400 billion through sanctions and hundreds of thousands of young Russians have left for opportunities聽abroad. For those who have stayed, free speech has been silenced. More than 20,000 have been imprisoned for opposing Putin鈥檚 war.聽聽

Russia鈥檚 Black Sea Fleet has been decimated and nearly 3,000 tanks and 105 fixed wing aircraft have been destroyed. 皇冠体育app Russian military has suffered more than 350,000 casualties. Of course, you won鈥檛 hear about this on Russian television, but it is all too real for the more than a million Russian mothers, fathers, sisters and brothers touched by the tragedy of President Putin鈥檚 hubris.

And all this for a war that Russia cannot win.

Russia cannot win because through their courage and ingenuity Ukrainians have shown they will not be subjugated. Russian cannot win because the international community will not abandon Ukraine. We do not have cold feet. We will continue to provide Ukraine with the weapons it needs to defend its territory from Russian aggression.聽 And President, finally, Russia cannot win because it is vital that imperialism and colonial ideology are consigned to the past.

So, we once again call on the Russian聽Federation to stop wasting this Council鈥檚 time, to end its war of aggression and to uphold the UN Charter.