STATEMENT

by Chargée d’Affaires of Ukraine to the United Nations Khrystyna Hayovyshyn at the UN Security Council meeting on “Maintenance of peace and security of Ukraine”

(1 August 2025)

Mr. President,

I congratulate you on assuming the Presidency of the Security Council for the month of August. I also wish to thank Pakistan for their Presidency in July.

I express my gratitude to the Panama Presidency for convening this emergency meeting Ukraine requested. I also commend Assistant Secretary-General Jenča for his comprehensive briefing.

Today, Ukrainian national flags in the cities and villages of our country are at half-mast to mark the Day of Mourning for the victims of another terrorist act by the Russian Federation – the commission of which Russia just recognized in this Chamber.

On the night of 31 July, Russia launched a massive attack on Ukraine with 309 attack drones and 8 cruise missiles. Our air defenses intercepted most, but not all.

Some broke through. Kyiv, the capital of Ukraine, was the main target, with attacks also hitting Dnipropetrovsk, Poltava, Sumy and Mykolaiv regions.

As of now, at least 31 civilians, including 5 children, fell victim to the attack on Kyiv. 159 civilians, including 16 children, were wounded across the capital.

One of the Russian missiles struck a multi-story residential complex in the capital. A section of the building collapsed entirely, reduced to debris and silence, along with the lives of people who called it home. Families were buried under rubble. Additionally, one private house was destroyed and over 40 civilian infrastructure facilities were damaged.

This attack was preceded by another terrorist act carried out two days before when Russia bombed a prison facility in the Zaporizhzhia region. Not by mistake. They dropped bombs from the sky, knowing civilians were inside. 16 people were killed. 43 more were left wounded.

These are not accidents or collateral damage. These are deliberate acts of terror by a Moscow regime that hears the world’s calls for peace and responds with bloodshed.

Once again, the world witnessed Russia’s response to our desire for peace – shared with the United States and Europe – with new killings and more destroyed homes.

It is a deliberate campaign to terrorize civilians and destroy any notion of normal life.

This effort is propped up by Iran and the DPRK, in blatant defiance of numerous Security Council resolutions. These regimes supply Moscow with drones, missiles and ammunition, while Chinese companies continue to provide dual-use goods and equipment – contributions that further fuel Russia’s ability to wage war and deepen the suffering inflicted on our people.

Russian regime will not stop if it’s not forced to. If we fail to confront it, it will continue its aggression and illegal occupation and will commit more and more war crimes and crimes against humanity – torture, inhumane treatment of civilians and prisoners of war, widespread sexual violence, the deportation of civilians and children, the destruction of cultural heritage, acts of ecocide, environmental devastation.

In the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine, Russia is committing systematic atrocities, turning the lives of millions of our people into a living nightmare. Putin's decree of 20 March mandates the forced expulsion of Ukrainian citizens from occupied Ukrainian territories or forces them to undergo procedures aimed at forced integration and passportization by 10 September this year. Concurrently, it is conducting forced mobilization in the occupied Ukrainian territories. These actions are part of a genocidal policy aimed at extermination of the Ukrainian people.

By all indicators, the Russian Federation is an undisputed aggressor: military full-scale invasion, direct use of military force, occupation of territories, cyberattacks on critical infrastructure, disinformation and propaganda, economic blackmail, interference in internal political processes, threats of using weapons of mass destruction, support for international terrorism and border provocations.

This list is not just a tally of crimes – it's a diagnosis of a regime that poses a threat to the entire civilized world. This is why Ukraine requested this Council meeting today.

 Kremlin wages this war because it sustains its regime. The war that it cannot win but refuses to end. Real peace will come only through diplomacy, but backed by strength.

Even Russian dictator Putin has cynically and unequivocally admitted the truth behind Russia’s war against Ukraine: for the Kremlin, war is not a tragedy – it’s a thrill. In December 2024, Putin remarked that when everything is calm, measured and stable, Russians get bored — it feels like stagnation. They want “some action,” or so-called dvizhuha.

This chilling confession reveals that all the justifications we’ve heard from Russia since 2014 are pure lies. What Putin and his criminal regime truly seek are imperial conquest, consolidation of power and violence.

The Russian delegation sits here today and speaks of diplomacy — while their missiles and combat drones strike people’s homes, hospitals and kindergartens.

They talk about “negotiations” – while expanding the front line and conscripting more men to die in a war of their own choosing and making.

Russia awaits the international law to be defeated – they believe that the world will look away and that justice will be avoided.

Don’t push the horses. This will not happen.

Russian illusions will shatter against the unbreakable resilience of the Ukrainian people. Russian illusions will shatter against the unyielding will of the international community. Because we stand united in defense of justice and freedom.

Mr. President,

Ukraine will continue to fight – for its people, for its sovereignty and for its future – our goal remains a comprehensive, just and lasting peace rooted in the principles of the United Nations Charter.

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy is ready to meet Putin since all actual decisions in Russia can be made only by him. During the last meeting with the Russian delegation in Istanbul on 23 July, we proposed to organize such a meeting before the end of August, but no progress has been made.

We understand who makes the decisions in Russia – and who must put an end to this war. The world understands this as well. Ukraine calls for moving beyond public statements and technical-level discussions to direct talks between leaders. The United States has proposed this. Ukraine has supported it. What is needed now is Russia’s readiness.

As there was no positive development on other critical elements of the discussions – full and unconditional ceasefire for at least 30 days is needed to restore confidence and enable meaningful negotiations.

Although this latest round of Istanbul talks yielded certain results in the humanitarian sphere, particularly concerning the exchange of prisoners, the Russian side, as before, shows no serious intention for a genuine peace. Kremlin`s aim is to create an illusion of the diplomatic process to delay sanctions and buy time in order to occupy more territory. By doing this while also shelling and bombing Ukraine’s civilians, Putin sends a signal of disrespect to all who are committed to end the killings.

That is why we reiterate our call on the members of this Council to support a resolution demanding a full, immediate and unconditional ceasefire between the Russian Federation and Ukraine. The world counts on the strength of your voice and urgent decisiveness of your action in bringing this war to an end.

As we said yesterday, peace will not come through appeasement – it will come through unity, resolve and justice. The cost of inaction is too high. Delay only emboldens the aggressor.

Therefore, in addition to the above, Ukraine calls for:

- Immediate and full synchronization and expansion of all sanctions targeting Russia’s war machine;

- Unconditional and total embargo on the exports of dual-use goods and technologies to Russia that are used in production of missiles and drones;

- Decisive, coordinated action to completely block all financial flows from the sale of Russian energy resources, which are the main source of funding for this war;

- Strict measures against Russia's shadow fleet and companies involved in the illegal export of Ukrainian grain;

- Immediate release of all Ukrainian civilian hostages and prisoners of war, as well as the return of forcibly deported Ukrainian children.

Let’s be clear: Russia’s war of annihilation demands not only a condemnation, but also a collective stand – coordinated, sustained and rooted in the principles that define the United Nations.

The time has come for all to act accordingly, without delay.

Thank you.