Statement at the UNSC Briefing on Ukraine

Statement

 Thank you President.

And I welcome the virtual participation of President Zelenskyy in this meeting.

Thank you also to Under-Secretary General DiCarlo for your briefing.

Ireland is deeply concerned by the harrowing reports of a new barrage of missile strikes on Ukraine’s cities and critical infrastructure by the Russian Federation.

Across Ukraine, there have been mass power outages, causing further misery for millions of Ukrainians as a cold, harsh winter begins to set in.

Rolling blackouts have become the new normal in Ukraine, and today, much of neighbouring Moldova is also without power.

Ireland condemns Russia’s use of energy as a weapon of war.

Horrific reports have emerged overnight of a Russian rocket attack on a maternity ward in a southern Ukrainian hospital, near Zaporizhzhia city, killing a new born baby, whose mother and a doctor were pulled from the rubble.

In the city of Kyiv, three people were killed as a result of Russian shelling; among them was a 17 year old girl, with further casualties in the wider region.

We have also heard reports in recent days of torture chambers uncovered in Kherson, adding to the list of potential atrocities in areas previously occupied by the Russian Federation.

These attacks have achieved absolutely nothing beyond terrorising and punishing the civilian population.

President,

We condemn these heinous attacks in the strongest terms. We reiterate that attacks targeting civilians and civilian objects are war crimes, and those responsible for ordering and committing these attacks must be held to account.

Russia’s use of explosive weapons in populated areas is grossly disturbing. Last week in Dublin, 83 countries adopted a Political Declaration on strengthening the protection of civilians from the humanitarian consequences arising from the use of explosive weapons in populated areas.  

We reiterate that parties to the conflict must comply with international humanitarian law. This includes obligations against intentional attacks on civilians, and attacks that do not distinguish between military targets and civilians, as well as to refrain from indiscriminate and disproportionate attacks, and to take all feasible precautions in attack.

This is all the more urgent as millions of people across Ukraine enter into a dark and freezing winter at the hands of the Russian Federation.

Russia’s continued attacks have caused massive disruptions to energy infrastructure and basic services including water, heat, electricity and health care.

As always, the most vulnerable in Ukrainian society – the internally displaced, women, children, and the elderly – face a particularly precarious future.

President, time and time again, the Russian Federation has defied the calls of the international community to end its aggression against Ukraine. It continues along its path of escalation, death and destruction. 

But as we have made clear time and time again, there is another way.  Once again, Ireland calls on the Russian Federation to cease all hostilities, withdraw its troops, and return to the path of dialogue and diplomacy.

Thank you

|