These days Ukraine remembers the dates of the beginning of the tragic events that not only changed the recent history of our state, but also made an impact on the history of the entire European continent and the world.
Ten years ago, the unprovoked armed aggression of the Russian Federation against Ukraine launched the process of destruction of the world order created after the Second World War, based on international law.
Temporary occupation and an attempted annexation of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol in 2014, subsequent temporary occupation of parts of the territory of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions, and the impunity that Russia felt due to the lack of an adequate and decisive response by the international community to these crimes, caused a series of terrible events, which culminated in February 2022 in a full-scale invasion of the Russian Federation in Ukraine.
Nowadays Russian full-scale invasion on Ukrainian territory is accompanied by flagrant violation of international humanitarian law, international law and human rights, by demolition of cities and villages, numerous victims among the civilian population, tortures, thousands of dead and wounded. Waging a war against Ukraine, Russia also resorts to nuclear blackmail and undermines fundamental foundations of the architecture of international security and non-proliferation.
On the temporary occupied territories of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol, parts of the territory of the Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions of Ukraine Russian occupation authorities try to destroy people’s connection with Ukraine, their desire for freedom and independence.
Although Russia’s intentions to legitimize an attempt to illegally annex Ukrainian territories by holding so-called “referenda” and “elections” failed, and the results of these propaganda campaigns were not recognized by international community, the Kremlin intends to force residents of the temporarily occupied territories to vote in the so-called “elections” of President of the Russian Federation, which is also another gross violation of international law. The very fact of holding such elections in the temporary occupied territories of Ukraine delegitimizes and calls into question results of such “elections” throughout the territory of the Russian Federation, as well as the very status of a future President of Russia.
Arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court for Vladimir Putin has become one of the important consequences of actions of the Russian occupation authorities in the temporary occupied territories of Ukraine, namely committing a war crime of illegal deportations and transfer of thousands of Ukrainian children to the territory of the aggressor state. Such crimes do not have a statute of limitations. The war criminal must be apprehended and handed over to international justice.
Heroic resistance of the Ukrainian people disrupted imperial ambitions of the Russian Federation and her plans to separate Ukraine from Europe. Russia’s intentions to erase Ukraine from the world map, to destroy Ukrainian identity have failed.
Ukrainian people continue to demonstrate courage and heroism, fighting not only for its existence, preservation of its statehood and survival of its citizens, but also for the entire democratic world. Global nature of this challenge is indicated by a long list of decisions of international organizations, which, with a strong support of an absolute majority of the world community members, condemn Russian aggression and confirm their commitment to the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine.
We are sincerely grateful to our international partners for their political support, military, financial and humanitarian assistance, and increased sanctions pressure on the aggressor state. We are convinced that our partners will stand side by side with Ukraine until our joint victory.
Ukraine will never surrender to the aggressor. Only a complete restoration of Ukraine’s territorial integrity within its internationally recognized borders will ensure peace and stability in Europe and the world.
Bringing military and political criminals of the Russian Federation to justice is inevitable. International tribunals, the achievement of conditions under which the Russian Federation will pay reparations, formation of security guarantees for Ukraine to prevent the crime of aggression from being repeated, return of POWs, illegally detained persons and illegally deported, forcibly displaced Ukrainian children from the temporary occupied territories of Ukraine, attracting investments to reconstruction and restoration of our state, Ukraine’s accession to the EU and NATO – these issues have already been on the agenda.
Ukraine understands the need to create a new international security system that would effectively respond to today’s threats and challenges.
We are confident that by joint efforts with our partners we will ensure the implementation of the Peace Formula of the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy as the only effective roadmap aimed at restoring comprehensive, just and sustainable peace in Ukraine and security for the whole world.
We call on our partners to continue their resolute support of Ukraine in order to ensure Ukraine`s victory over the Russian aggression. Foremost, this includes an urgent supply of new packages of weapons and ammunition to Ukrainian defenders, decisions on further financing of support programs, setting up of joint defense production, transfer of the frozen Russian assets.
We are convinced that by joint efforts we will be able to achieve full restoration of the territorial integrity and peace in Ukraine and in Europe.
