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Delegation reads joint statement at United Nations condemning Russian aggression and invoking UN Charter
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Summary
An unnamed representative read a statement at the United Nations on behalf of 35 countries and the European Union condemning Russian military action in Ukraine, invoking Article 51 of the UN Charter and calling for an immediate withdrawal of Russian forces.
An unnamed representative read a joint statement at the United Nations on behalf of 35 countries and the European Union condemning the Russian Federation’s military aggression against Ukraine and calling for an immediate withdrawal of Russian forces.
The representative said the nations recalled the victims of World War II and “couple our tribute with a firm and unequivocal condemnation of the Nazi regime.” The statement invoked the United Nations Charter and Article 51, arguing that the invasion of Ukraine amounts to “a gross violation of the principles of the United Nations Charter and international law.”
The statement was read on behalf of Ukraine; Albania; Austria; Belgium; Bosnia and Herzegovina; Bulgaria; Croatia; Cyprus; Czechia; Denmark; Estonia; Finland; France; Germany; Greece; Iceland; Ireland; Italy; Latvia; Liechtenstein; Lithuania; Luxembourg; Malta; Montenegro; North Macedonia; Norway; the Netherlands; Portugal; the Republic of Moldova; Romania; Slovakia; Slovenia; Spain; Sweden; the United Kingdom; and the European Union. The speaker said that nations honor the memory of millions of World War II victims and also recalled that the war’s end did not bring freedom for many nations that later experienced other forms of oppression.
The representative said Ukraine continues to defend itself “in full accordance with Article 51 of the UN Charter” and that Ukraine has demonstrated “its willingness to invest in diplomacy and achieve a comprehensive, just, and lasting peace.” The statement reiterated “our strong commitment to the sovereignty, independence, unity, and territorial integrity of Ukraine within its internationally recognized borders, including its territorial waters,” and demanded that the Russian Federation “immediately, completely, and unconditionally withdraw all its military forces from the territory of Ukraine,” a call the statement said the UN General Assembly has made repeatedly since 2022 and again on Feb. 24 this year.
The representative also denounced what the statement called “cynical attempts to appropriate and exploit the memory of the victory of the forces that defeated Nazism as a means to justify aggression,” and said those efforts include “distortion of history, propagation of false narratives and disinformation.” The statement condemned “Nazism, neo-Nazism, antisemitism, racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance,” and said the rule of law must not be supplanted by the rule of force.
The statement delivered no new proposals or formal measures; it reflected the signatories’ diplomatic position and repeated calls to uphold international law and prior General Assembly resolutions. No vote or formal action was recorded in the transcript excerpted here.
