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Statement 

by the Delegation of Ukraine 

under cluster 5 “Other disarmament measures and international security” 

of the First Committee of the 81st session 

of the UN General Assembly 

(23 October, New York)

Mr. Chair,

Ukraine aligns itself with the statement delivered by the European Union. We wish to make the following remarks in our national capacity.

Last year, after years of negotiations, Member States reached consensus on establishing the UN Global Mechanism on developments in the field of ICTs in the context of international security. It is a permanent, inclusive and action-oriented platform built on a carefully negotiated balance of interests.

That is why Ukraine welcomes the procedural draft resolution presented by El Salvador in its capacity as Chair. The text marks the launch of the Mechanism, facilitates the first meetings of its Dedicated Thematic Groups in December, and leaves substantive decisions to Member States within the agreed framework.

Mr. Chair,

One Member State, the Russian Federation, has chosen a different path. It is now trying to reopen settled issues through a competing draft resolution. Its text seeks to bring back provisions that did not receive consensus during the negotiations.

The draft promotes new legally binding obligations instead of implementing existing ones, cyber drills under UN auspices based on Moscow’s initiatives, and additional conditions on the attribution of malicious cyber activities.

The purpose of these proposals is clear. Russia’s aim is to divert the Mechanism from implementing what has already been agreed and to evade accountability for its own malicious cyber activities.

For years, Moscow presented itself as the champion of a UN-led process on ICT security, hoping to shape it according to its own vision. Instead, Member States have agreed on a Global Mechanism that is inclusive, driven by all Member States and anchored in existing international law and agreed norms. It reflects the collective will of the international community, not the agenda of any single State.

Unable to control the Mechanism from within, Russia is now trying to steer it from outside, through a parallel resolution that would impose its priorities just as the Mechanism has begun its work.

Two competing resolutions would send contradictory political guidance, duplicate the work of the Thematic Groups and weaken the Mechanism. Ukraine firmly opposes these attempts to undermine the consensus we have reached and urges all delegations to do likewise.

Mr. Chair,

 

Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine has been accompanied by a sustained campaign of cyberattacks against our energy grid, telecommunications, financial institutions, government services and media, and by massive disinformation.

In the first half of this year alone, Ukraine’s national CERT handled more than 3,100 cyber incidents, with local authorities, government institutions, the security and defence sector and energy among the main targets.

These cyber operations are an integral part of Russia’s war against Ukraine, launched in tandem with its kinetic attacks on our cities and critical infrastructure.

Ukraine has withstood this pressure thanks to the resilience of its institutions and the support of its partners. We are grateful to the fourteen members of the Tallinn Mechanism, which have committed more than 300 million euros in civilian cyber assistance to Ukraine since December 2023.

We thank Italy for its leadership of the Tallinn Mechanism during the current presidency, and we welcome the Mechanism’s opening to the private sector this year. The lessons we have learned under constant attack are now shared with partners facing similar threats.

Finally, Mr. Chair, artificial intelligence is rapidly transforming the battlefield, as Ukraine witnesses every day. Its military applications must be developed and used responsibly, in full compliance with international law, including international humanitarian law.

In this regard, Ukraine strongly supports the draft resolution on artificial intelligence in the military domain presented by a group of Member States.

Thank you, Mr. Chair.