Sybiha at UNSC: int'l mechanisms to stop wars fail so new tools needed
A thousand days of full-scale Russian war testifies to the bravery of Ukrainians, support from partners, but also to the inability of the international community to stop wars and atrocities, says Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha.
He stated this on Monday at a meeting of the Security Council to discuss the Russian invasion of Ukraine, an Ukrinform correspondent reports.
"This number (1,000 days – ed.) proves the failure of the international community, including this distinguished Council, to stop wars of aggression and atrocities," the minister said.
International mechanisms have failed and are not working, so new tools need to be created to restore respect for the UN Charter, he emphasized.
According to Sybiha, the world will have to pay a heavy price "if it chooses appeasement instead of just peace" and "world leaders choose weakness instead of strength."
"The goal of achieving a comprehensive, just, and lasting peace is urgent. Whatever the price of achieving it is now, the price of further failures will be much, much higher," the minister noted.
He added that no one in the world pays a higher price for Russian aggression than the people of Ukraine. "This is why they, and only they, must be the ones to define the terms of peace," the head of the Foreign Ministry emphasized.
The world cannot afford peace in Ukraine at any price because, in the end, the price will be too high, he emphasized.
The top diplomat reminded that no agreements with the Russian Federation can inspire confidence.
Since the beginning of its aggression in 2014, Russia has violated about 400 international agreements, Sybiha noted.
He recalled that next month marks the 30th anniversary of the Budapest Memorandum. Today, the document serves as a reminder to the whole world that Russia cannot be trusted at their word bears no value.
The main principle of the Ukrainian approach is the recognition that there cannot be any compromises regarding territorial integrity and sovereignty, both in Ukraine and anywhere else, he emphasized.
The fastest way to end this war is to increase the support Ukraine needs for self-defense and force Russia to withdraw its troops, he noted.
Providing Ukraine with the necessary means and removing artificial restrictions on the use of weapons will accelerate the achievement of a just and lasting peace, the minister concluded.
As Ukrinform reported earlier, Sybiha on Monday took part in the meeting of the UN Security Council to discuss the Russian war, timed to mark the 1,000th day of the full-scale invasion.