Check against delivery

 

Statement by the Delegation of Ukraine at the General Exchange of Views of the United Nations Disarmament Commission 2025 substantive session 

                                   (7 April 2025, New York)

 

 

Chair, 

At the outset, we congratulate you on your election and assure you of our delegation’s full support.

We believe that, despite today’s extremely complex international security environment, the UNDC continues to play an important role in the overall UN disarmament machinery, in particular through its deliberations on disarmament matters.

Ukraine has been and remains a committed party to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT), having renounced a world’s third largest nuclear arsenal, thus making greatest contribution to the international peace and security.

We stress the need for concrete progress towards the full implementation of Article VI of the NPT, especially through the overall reduction in the global stockpile of nuclear weapons, taking into account the special responsibility of the States that possess the largest nuclear arsenals.

Ukraine strongly supports the universalization and entry into force of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT). We call on all States that have not yet done so, in particular those listed in Annex 2, to sign and ratify the CTBT without preconditions or further delay. In the meantime, we urge all States to abide by a moratorium on nuclear weapon test explosions or any other nuclear explosion.

We call for the immediate commencement and early conclusion of negotiations in the Conference on Disarmament of a Treaty banning the production of fissile material (FMCT) for use in nuclear weapons or other explosive devices in accordance with document CD/1299 and the mandate contained therein.

Ukraine reiterates that further strengthening of the IAEA’s system of safeguards continues to be of critical importance for non-proliferation regime.

 

 

Chair,

In 2022, the Russian Federation launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine. From the first days of the war of aggression against my country, Moscow has been engaged in reckless nuclear rhetoric.

The Russian Federation has taken a number of escalatory and destructive steps to undermine even further the already eroded disarmament and non-proliferation architecture, by suspending its participation in the New START Treaty, announcing the stationing of its non-strategic nuclear weapons on the territory of Belarus, and withdrawing its ratification of the CTBT.

We would like to underline that the Russian Federation has been benefiting from military support for its war against Ukraine from its allies, using the Iranian armed UAV’s, and ammunition and weapons, including ballistic missiles, from the DPRK.

We wish to draw the attention of UN member states to the fact that DPRK forces remain actively engaged in joint operations with Russian troops.  Ukraine considers participation of DPRK servicemen in Russia's invasion as the internationalization of the war and its expansion beyond the borders of the two states.

Chair,

Ukraine strongly condemns the series of ballistic and intercontinental ballistic missile launches conducted by the DPRK.

We call on the DPRK to refrain from conducting any ballistic missile tests, fully implement and respect multiple UN Security Council resolutions, immediately return to compliance with the NPT, and the IAEA Comprehensive Safeguards Agreement, including by signing and ratifying the Additional Protocol thereto, as well as the Comprehensive Nuclear Test-Ban Treaty.

Russia's use of veto of the UN Security Council draft resolution on the extension of the mandate of the Panel of Experts of the 1718 Sanctions Committee (DPRK) on 28 March 2024 undermined the international non-proliferation regime.

We are also gravely concerned by Iran’s continuing development of its nuclear programme, thus increasing, the risk of a nuclear proliferation crisis in the region. We urge Iran to reverse all proliferation-sensitive activities, to reapply the Additional Protocol and to resume implementation of all JCPOA-related monitoring and verification measures.

Chair,

The situation at the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP) continues to be very precarious, which is stated, in particular, by IAEA experts who are present at the site of the plant.

Ukraine strongly condemns the attempts of the Russian Federation to legitimize its illegal control over the ZNPP. Moscow continues to manipulate the issue of nuclear safety, using ZNPP as an instrument of international pressure and blackmail, which poses a direct threat to the security of the whole Europe.

It should be mentioned that the Russian Federation is deliberately restricting the work of international experts and putting pressure on the IAEA in an attempt to block the transfer of objective information to the international community.

Ukraine recalls that any attempts by the Russian Federation to impose its own rules on the management of the station, in particular through the actions of the Russian State Atomic Energy Corporation (Rosatom), are illegitimate and threaten the security of the region.

We stress that the return of the Zaporizhzhia NPP to full Ukrainian control is the only way to restore nuclear safety and stability. Only the Ukrainian regulator and operator can ensure an appropriate level of nuclear safety at the station in accordance with international standards and IAEA guarantees.

Ukraine emphasizes that the ZNPP was, is and will be Ukrainian. The Russian Federation must immediately withdraw its troops from the territory of the plant, stop nuclear blackmail and attempts to manipulate the issue of global security.

Thank you, Chair.