UN Security Council meeting under the agenda item “Threats to International Peace and Security”
Statement delivered by H.E. Rein Tammsaar, Permanent Representative of Estonia on behalf of the Baltic States
22 June 2026, New York
President,
We thank the Colombian Presidency for convening this meeting following Russia’s latest wave of deliberate and indiscriminate attacks against civilians in Ukraine on 14th and 15th June. The Baltic States align with the statement delivered by the European Union and would like to add the following.
This Council is meeting ever more frequently in response to the increasing intensity of Russia’s desperate and barbaric attacks against the civilian population of Ukraine. As Ukraine continues to weaken Russia’s war machine through deep-strike operations, the Kremlin has responded by escalating its attacks against civilians and civilian infrastructure. These are acts of desperation.
This large-scale combined aerial attack was again clearly directed at Ukraine’s civilian population and infrastructure in densely populated areas, including the UNESCO World Heritage Site Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra. At least 11 civilians were killed across the country and dozens were injured. Targeting one of Ukraine’s most important cultural and religious sites is yet another example of Russia’s attempt to erase Ukraine’s identity and cultural heritage. The attack aimed at the cradle of Eastern Orthodoxy clearly shattered the Kremlin’s myth that Russia acts as the sole defender of it.
This is part of a broader escalation. According to UN data, civilian casualties have reached their highest levels since the early weeks of the full-scale invasion, driven largely by Russia’s intensified use of powerful weapons against densely populated urban areas far from the frontline. These attacks were not against military targets – they hit cities, homes, infrastructure, and places of worship.
Nearly 20,500 Ukrainian children are estimated to have been unlawfully deported or forcibly transferred to Russia by the occupation powers. This vile act of systematic deportation, forced transfer, indoctrination, russification and militarization of Ukrainian children amounts to war crimes and crimes against humanity. In addition to repeated listing in the Secretary-General’s Children and Armed Conflict report, Russia’s crimes have also been documented in the Secretary-General’s report on conflict-related sexual violence. The investigators have verified 310 cases committed by Russian forces against Ukrainians, including rape and gang rape, genital mutilation and applying electric shocks to genitals. It must lead to perpetrators being held accountable and to further concrete action.
We recall Security Council resolution 2242 (2015), which welcomed the Secretary-General’s decision to prohibit repeatedly listed countries from participating in United Nations peacekeeping operations.
Russia must additionally be listed on the basis of systemic and widespread abduction and deportation of Ukrainian children.
Russia presents itself as a party seeking peace, but its actions show the opposite. Russia repeatedly returns to the narrative that the Istanbul negotiations were undermined by others, yet avoids the obvious question. Had Russia not invaded Ukraine, there would have been no need for the Istanbul talks, nor for negotiations to end a war started by Russia itself. This war was unjustified from the outset and constitutes a grave violation of the UN Charter and the fundamental principles of international law.
President,
The Baltic States urge all UN Member States to finally take a firm stance on Russia’s aggression against Ukraine. A strong and united response is needed to reinforce respect for the UN Charter and ensure accountability for violations of international law.
Russia needs to be collectively forced to ceasefire and then to just and lasting peace in Ukraine. Enough is enough. A ceasefire cannot wait. There is no way around this.
We call on all UN Member States to join us in seeking justice for all victims of Russia’s aggression and accountability for all those responsible. We urge all states to support the establishment of the Special Tribunal for the crime of aggression against Ukraine, in line with the Council of Europe’s 15 May resolution. The Tribunal should become operational without delay and send a clear message that aggression has legal consequences.
The International Criminal Court’s arrest warrants against Vladimir Putin and Maria Lvova-Belova for the unlawful deportation of Ukrainian children stand as a clear precedent – accountability at the highest level is both possible and necessary. The warrants must be implemented.
We reaffirm our unwavering support for the independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine, within its internationally recognized borders – and we will not waver until justice and peace are achieved.
I thank you!