Thank you President. And I join others in thanking Under-Secretary-General DiCarlo for her briefing and welcoming among us H.E. Dzhaparova, the First Deputy Foreign Minister, and H.E. Gerwel, Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs.
This is our first meeting on Russia's illegal invasion of Ukraine since the 9th of December last year. Many of us have spent the time since then resting, recuperating, celebrating with family and preparing for the New Year.
Russia has spent that time bombing civilians, attacking Ukraine's critical infrastructure, and attempting to seize Ukrainian territory -- as it did for most of last year.
Russia has continued to do this with the assistance of Belarus, and using weapons sourced from Iran and North Korea in violation of Security Council resolutions and with utter contempt for this Council.
President, millions of Ukrainians spent the holiday period sheltering from missile and drone attacks, sitting in the dark and the cold, and living as refugees, displaced persons, and prisoners; many of them thousands of miles away from their homes, families and loved ones.
As the Secretary-General said yesterday, this war has created a humanitarian and human rights catastrophe, traumatised a generation of children and accelerated the global food and energy crisis.
As a result, millions more across the world are facing another year of hunger and hardship caused by Russia's war.
President, as many of us have said repeatedly, Russia can choose to end all this immediately: by stopping its attacks against Ukraine - not just for thirty-six hours, but for good - and by withdrawing its forces from Ukraine.
While Russia's assault continues, however, Ukraine has no choice but to exercise its right to defend itself.
But, like the rest of us, what Ukraine wants is a just and sustainable peace. We support Ukraine's initiative to this end.
We join the international community in again calling for an end to the war, which respects Ukraine's rights under international law and the UN Charter, so that this year, may be a year of peace.
