UN Security Council meeting on Maintenance of Peace and Security of Ukraine
Statement delivered by H.E. Mr. Julius Pranevičius, Permanent Representative of Lithuania on behalf of the Baltic States
New York, 24 August 2026
President,
I have the honour to deliver this statement on behalf of the Baltic States. We also align with the statement of the European Union.
We thank the Danish Presidency for convening this meeting.
Today, on Ukraine’s Independence Day, we congratulate the Ukrainian people and commend their extraordinary courage and resilience in defending their freedom, sovereignty, and identity.
The Baltic States know the value of freedom and the cost of defending it. Our own history demonstrates that aggression, occupation, and imperial ambitions cannot extinguish a nation’s will to be free. Just as Ukrainians stood with us in the 1990s, today we stand firmly with Ukraine in its fight for freedom.
Ukraine is defending not only its own future, but the principles of the UN Charter: sovereignty, territorial integrity, and the right of every nation to determine its own destiny.
It is unacceptable that Russia continues its war of aggression while using its permanent seat on the Security Council to deflect accountability. Russia’s actions, including attacks on civilians and infrastructure, the deportation of children, and the attempted erasure of Ukrainian identity, are grave violations of international law.
The Baltic States call on all countries to cease any support that enables Russia’s war machine. We condemn the recruitment of foreign nationals, including from Africa, Asia and Latina America, through deception and coercion to support Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine. We also condemn military cooperation with Russia by Belarus, Iran, and the DPRK.
We reaffirm Ukraine’s inherent right to self-defence under Article 51 of the UN Charter and call for sustained military support, including air defence and other critical capabilities. Ukraine’s security is inseparable from European security. We must therefore continue strengthening our collective defence and resilience, while supporting Ukraine’s European and Euro-Atlantic integration and its path towards full membership of the European Union.
We reiterate that Russia must be held fully accountable for its violations of international law, including the crime of aggression. We urge international community to support the Special Tribunal for the Crime of Aggression against Ukraine, as well as all efforts to investigate and prosecute war crimes and other atrocities. Cases of executions, torture, conflict-related sexual violence, and the forced transfer of Ukrainian civilians, including children, must continue to be monitored, investigated, and prosecuted through the relevant accountability mechanisms.
We further recall the need to fully implement the Secretary-General’s decision to prohibit from participating in the United Nations peacekeeping operations all countries repeatedly listed in the annexes of his reports on Children and Armed Conflict and Conflict-Related Sexual Violence.
Peace must be just and lasting. It cannot come at the expense of Ukraine’s sovereignty or territorial integrity. We will never recognize, de jure nor de facto, Russia’s occupation or attempted annexation of Ukrainian territory.
The Baltic States join the international community in calling repeatedly on Russia to end its war of aggression and agree to an unconditional ceasefire as a first step toward meaningful negotiations. Russia must face sustained political, economic, and military pressure to end its aggression. The Security Council should adopt a resolution on the ceasefire, in fulfillment of its primary responsibility to ensure international peace and security.
We do not and will not recognize Russia’s so-called elections in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine or their results. Any attempt to illegally integrate or annex the territory of another state is a clear violation of international law. We call on all countries to refrain from recognizing or participating in the monitoring of these illegitimate processes.
To our Ukrainian friends – please be assured – we will not waver. We stand in solidarity with the Ukrainian people until you prevail. We pay tribute to all those who have paid the ultimate price in defending their homeland and their freedom.
We will continue our unwavering support for the sovereignty, territorial integrity and political independence of Ukraine.
I thank you.