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On February 24, Deputy Foreign Minister Mariana Betsa participated in a high-level meeting of the UN Security Council dedicated to the humanitarian situation in Ukraine and ways to end the Russian Federation’s war against Ukraine.

Key statements:

▪️ Russia has usurped its seat in the UN Security Council, as it never legally acquired the status of a permanent member. By continuing its aggressive policy against Ukraine and other states, Russia is systematically undermining the entire system of international law.

▪️ Russia has failed to achieve any of its strategic objectives on the battlefield. As its setbacks mount, it increasingly directs its hatred at Ukrainian civilians. In 2025 alone, Russia carried out thousands of attacks on civilian infrastructure using drones, aerial bombs, and missiles, deliberately targeting energy facilities, railways, and residential buildings. These are not accidental strikes – this is terror aimed not at armies, but at people.

▪️ Ukraine needs humanitarian and defense support to protect its people. The international community’s assistance during the energy crisis sends Russia a clear signal: terror will not succeed.

▪️ For Ukraine, the return of every child is not a political issue but a moral duty and a matter of justice. To date, around 20,000 children have been abducted by Russia.

▪️ More than 16,000 civilians are being held in Russian captivity. Russia systematically violates the rights of prisoners of war, extracts forced “confessions,” and persecutes people for defending their country.

▪️ Ukraine is ready for an “all-for-all” prisoner exchange. We call on the international community to increase pressure on Russia to immediately release all unlawfully detained Ukrainians, including children.

▪️ Russia’s policy is not merely a series of war crimes but a campaign aimed at destroying the Ukrainian people, culture, and heritage. The world must respond decisively — terror is unacceptable in the 21st century.

▪️ Russia’s objective remains unchanged: to seize as much Ukrainian territory as possible, destroy life in cities, and terrorize civilians. Its allies – Iran, the DPRK, and Belarus – are spreading chaos and destabilization worldwide.

▪️ Despite peace initiatives by the United States and Europe, Russia continues to escalate. The Kremlin demands that Ukraine withdraw from its own territory. Sovereignty and territorial integrity are red lines for Ukraine and for all UN member states.

▪️ As long as the war continues, resources must be mobilized: sanctions, defense support, security guarantees, and holding Russia accountable for the crimes of aggression, genocide, terrorism, and war crimes are critically important.

▪️ The question today is whether the UN is capable of fulfilling its primary function – maintaining international peace and security. International law must be a real instrument of peace. Without the restoration of a just and comprehensive peace, no state will be safe.

▪️ Ukraine wants peace, but we will never accept occupation, agree to territorial concessions, or compromise our freedom. Our goal is a comprehensive, just, and lasting peace based on the UN Charter and international law.

During the resumed 11th Emergency Special Session of the UN General Assembly, Deputy Foreign Minister of Ukraine Mariana Betsa presented the draft resolution and emphasized in her remarks:

▪️ Russia’s aggression has shattered peace in Europe and posed a direct challenge to the fundamental principles of the UN Charter – sovereignty, territorial integrity, and the prohibition of the use of force.

▪️ Russia’s war against Ukraine is a fundamental challenge to the rule of law, as it seeks to legitimize the use of force as a principle of international relations.

▪️ This is not merely a war against a state – it is a war against Ukrainians and against the very idea that rules, law, and human dignity matter.

▪️ In February 2022, Russia expected Ukraine to fall within days. It did not. It expected us not to resist. We do.

▪️ No UN member state should be left alone when under attack. Ukraine has not been left alone. We are sincerely grateful to all countries supporting us – militarily, financially, humanitarianly, and politically. Your support contributes to global stability and is an investment in peace.

▪️ Despite peace efforts led by the United States and supported by Europe, Moscow has shown no readiness to stop its aggression. Between February 8 and 15, 2026 alone, Russia launched around 1,300 attack drones, more than 1,200 guided aerial bombs, and 50 missiles against Ukraine, most of them ballistic.

▪️ Russia has turned winter into a weapon, striking Ukraine’s power plants and energy grids with the clear aim of leaving civilians without electricity, heating, and water in subzero temperatures. This is deliberate Russian state policy – using winter, darkness, and cold as weapons to break a nation and undermine our resilience.

▪️ Ukraine has demonstrated its readiness for peace, including through difficult compromises – but not peace at any cost, and not peace disguised as capitulation. This will not happen. Ukraine will not surrender. We will never accept the occupation of our territories or impunity for crimes against Ukrainians.

▪️ The international community must speak with one voice – clearly and unequivocally – in support of a full, immediate, and unconditional ceasefire and a genuine peace process based on the UN Charter and international law.

Following the consideration, the UNGA adopted Ukraine’s resolution “Support for lasting peace in Ukraine”. A total of 107 UN member states voted in favor, 12 voted against, and 51 abstained.