76th Session of the United Nations General Assembly
Joint Statement by Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania on the occasion of the UNSC meeting
23 February 2022, New York
I am delivering this statement on behalf of the Baltic States – Latvia, Lithuania and my own country Estonia.
Mr President,
We welcome and underline the urgency of today’s emergency meeting of the UN Security Council – the fourth over the last four weeks – to discuss the latest developments concerning Russia’s further aggression against Ukraine.
We thank the Secretary-General and Under-Secretary-General DiCarlo for their briefings.
The Council is convening as we witness yet another escalatory step as a result of a deliberate policy of aggression by the Russian leadership leading us further to conflict.
We unequivocally condemn the announcement by President Putin and the military operation in Ukraine. It is an unprovoked and unlawful act of aggression.
Ukraine is facing a repeated violation of its territorial integrity after the illegal annexation of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the City of Sevastopol in 2014. Acts of aggression and the use of force are violations of international law, including the UN Charter, that require accountability. We call on all UN Member States and UN bodies to prevent the pending war and put a stop to the violations against the state and people of Ukraine.
The request for military assistance by Moscow from the so-called “Peoples’ Republics” of Donetsk and Luhansk announces a very dangerous additional step against Ukraine’s sovereignty. It would risk thousands of lives.
It follows the decision by President Putin to recognise the non-government controlled areas of Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts of Ukraine as independent entities and the ensuing decision to send Russian troops into these areas, preceded by the unprecedented build-up of troops on Ukraine’s borders.
We have strongly condemned these decisions as blatant breaches of international law, including the UN Charter, as well as of the Minsk Agreements.
We heard numerous similar messages of condemnation and concern from among countries around the world, across all regional groups at the General Assembly today. We have heard from the UN Secretary-General, who stated that the decision of the Russian Federation to recognise the so-called “independence” of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions is a violation of the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Ukraine and inconsistent with the principles of the Charter of the United Nations. It undermines the United Nations itself. The UN should not follow the fate of the League of Nations.
The Secretary-General also made clear his concern about the perversion of the concept of peacekeeping. Troops entering the territory of another country without its consent are not impartial peacekeepers. Nor are they peacekeepers at all, as he pointed out. They are called invaders.
Yet we note, today, that these persistent calls for the respect for international law, diplomacy and dialogue continue to go unheeded.
We underline that the Russian Federation’s use of force against Ukraine is completely unjustified and unacceptable. It must be met with unity, firmness and determination in solidarity with Ukraine. The European Union has responded to the latest violations, including with additional restrictive measures. We stand ready to adopt more wide-ranging political and economic sanctions.
Russia’s actions against Ukraine are not a matter just for Ukraine or for Europe. They have severe implications globally, for every UN member state, and the rules based international order.
We urge the Russian Federation, as a party to the conflict, to reverse the recognition of the so-called “Peoples’ Republics”, uphold its commitments, abide by international law, and return to the discussions within the Normandy Format and the Trilateral Contact Group. It has a clear responsibility under international law to work to find a peaceful settlement of the conflict.
We strongly urge Russia to respect the principles of the UN Charter, to refrain from any further escalatory actions, and to engage in meaningful diplomacy.
We reiterate the unwavering support of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania for Ukraine’s sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity within its internationally recognized borders. We, with the international community, stand in solidarity with Ukraine.
Thank you.