Andrii Sybiha made sharp statements at a meeting of the UN Security Council in New York on the occasion of 1000 days since the beginning of the full-scale invasion of the Russian Federation

Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Andriy Sybiga spoke at a meeting of the UN Security Council in New York on the occasion of 1,000 days since the beginning of the full-scale invasion of the Russian Federation. He made sharp statements addressing the world community and showed a detail of the North Korean KN-23 ballistic missile that attacked Ukraine, calling for further support for the country.

He noted that “1,000 days is a very large number”, which, on the one hand, proves the courage of Ukraine in the face of brutal Russian aggression, as well as the support of partners, and on the other hand, “proves the inability of the international community, including the UN Security Council, to stop aggressive wars and atrocities”.

“We have to be honest. International mechanisms have failed. They don’t work. We need to create new tools. We need to be principled and united to restore respect for the UN Charter.” – said the minister.

Andriy Sybiga believes that the possibility of long-range strikes on military facilities of the Russian Federation “could become a turning point” in the war.

“This could be a turning point. The further Ukraine can strike, the shorter the war will be.” – he said at a briefing with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Great Britain David Lammy before the meeting of the UN Security Council in New York.

At the meeting of the UN Security Council, Sybiga again emphasized that Ukraine’s position “has always been clear – we have every right to strike military facilities on the territory of Russia.”

“This is our legal right and it will save the lives of our civilians. It can have a very positive effect on the situation on the battlefield.

This is a real part of the North Korean KN-23 ballistic missile that hit Ukraine. Such deadly missiles are constantly falling on our people. They can carry about 500 kilograms of explosives. The last blow was inflicted on Brovary near Kyiv on November 13. – said the minister.

He emphasized that the participation of the regular troops of the DPRK marks a new level of escalation and global spread of the war.

“We know for sure that North Korea wants a response from Russia. Technologies for missile, nuclear and other military programs. This will have consequences far beyond the borders of the two states, in particular, in the Indo-Pacific region,” – said the head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

He noted that “the price of inaction or appeasement is much higher than the price of decisive steps.”

“If we allow Russia to continue its aggression with impunity, it will create unacceptable risks to global security, nuclear security, the environment, migration and other areas.

The list of atrocities committed by Russia in Ukraine proves that the current international instruments do not work. We need new mechanisms to ensure accountability for the crime of aggression and all subsequent crimes. If there’s a precedent to be set for this, let’s set a precedent. If that requires amending the Rome Statute, let’s amend it. We must act to restore international peace and security.” – urged Sybiga.

Sybiga also informed that this year the Russian Federation intensified the execution of Ukrainian prisoners of war. Currently, Ukraine is investigating 49 criminal cases involving the murder of 124 of them. According to the UN, 95% of Ukrainian prisoners of war were tortured in Russian captivity.

“Thousands of Ukrainian prisoners of war and civilian hostages are still in Russian captivity without proper access for international observers and medics. We remember all our people. We will not rest until we free them all and return them home.” he said.

Separately, the head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that “Russia has stolen a normal childhood from every Ukrainian child.” At least 659 children have been killed by Russia since 2022. In addition, he emphasized that “right now, large-scale crimes and violations of human rights are being committed against millions of Ukrainians who remain in the occupied territories.”

“Forcible deportation of at least 20,000 Ukrainian children may become the largest state-run child abduction operation in history. Thousands of them remain in Russia. They are subjected to ideological processing, forced acquisition of Russian citizenship, adoption or placement in Russian families and even changing names” – noted Sybiga.

He added that these actions of Russia violate the Genocide Convention, the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child and the Fourth Geneva Convention.

“I refer to the Montreal Pledge adopted by the participants of the recent Ministerial Conference on the Human Dimension of the World Formula. Ministers pledged to assist in the return of the children. I urge everyone to join this noble effort.” – said Sybiga.

In general, as the minister informed, since the beginning of its aggression in 2014, Russia has violated about four hundred international treaties.