Ambassador Holland argued that Russia's war against Ukraine reflects a long-standing pattern of challenging the sovereignty and territorial integrity of neighbouring states. Russia's actions in Ukraine, Moldova and Georgia demonstrate a disregard for OSCE commitments and the principle that borders cannot be changed by force.
Thank you, Mr Chair.
Last week, a group of my colleagues and I visited Ukraine. We saw the reality of Russia's war first hand. We visited communities where Russian strikes have destroyed homes. We met former prisoners of war and the families of civilians arbitrarily detained by Russia, including the families of OSCE staff members whom Russia has unlawfully detained for more than four years. We again call for their immediate and unconditional release.
The visit was an opportunity to see the consequences of Russia's actions at first hand. Understanding those consequences also requires an honest assessment of their causes, something which I will offer today.
Russia has argued that we should look beyond 2022 to understand its war against Ukraine. We agree that context and history matter, so let us examine them.
Russia's behaviour prior to 2022 is part of a broader pattern, extending beyond Ukraine.
In Moldova, Russian military forces became involved in the conflict on the left bank of the Nistru more than three decades ago. Russia later committed at the Istanbul Summit to withdraw its forces, yet military personnel remain on Moldovan territory without the consent of the Moldovan Government.
In Georgia, Russian forces crossed internationally recognised borders in 2008. Russia subsequently recognised Abkhazia and South Ossetia as independent states and entrenched its military presence there occupying 20% of Georgian sovereign territory.
Ukraine is part of the same story.
In 1994, Russia committed to respect Ukraine's independence, sovereignty and existing borders. Twenty years later, following political upheaval in Kyiv, Russia seized Crimea and attempted to annex it. It then supported and sustained armed conflict in eastern Ukraine for the following eight years.
Russia has sought to justify those actions by claiming that the events of 2014 amounted to an "unconstitutional coup". This is false. Despite the unprecedented situation, Ukraine's institutions continued to function. Presidential and parliamentary elections were held, and Ukrainians freely chose successive governments after 2014 through democratic processes recognised by the international community. There was no line in the sand moment. Just a democratic process. Whatever interpretation Russia offers of Ukraine's domestic politics, it cannot justify violating Ukraine's sovereignty or redrawing its borders by force using the pretext of a coup.
When we take the longer and broader view of Russia's behaviour, it becomes clear that the roots of the war relate to a fundamental question: whether countries that Russia regards as falling within its "sphere of influence" have the right to determine their own future. The full-scale invasion was the latest and most devastating manifestation of Russia's answer to that question.
This war was not caused by a single political crisis, nor by a breakdown in diplomacy. It reflects a deeper disagreement about the rules that govern relations between states in the OSCE area.
Russia helped to shape those principles and freely subscribed to them. From Helsinki to Paris, from Budapest to Istanbul, the record is clear. States are sovereign. Borders cannot be changed by force. Those principles are not new. Nor is there any ambiguity to them.
The question is whether Russia is prepared to abide by those commitments it has repeatedly undertaken. Until it does, discussions about the roots of this war will continue to lead to the same conclusion: the problem was never the rules themselves, but Russia's decision to disregard them.
Finally, Mr Chair, I condemn Russia's continued bombardment of Ukraine, including the mass attack overnight that killed multiple civilians, and a recent strike that damaged the Latvian Consulate in Sloviansk. Russia's reckless actions continue to have consequences beyond Ukraine. On three consecutive days beginning on 24 July, drones entered Romanian airspace and were subsequently shot down by Romanian F-16s. The first was identified as a Shahed-type drone used by Russia; investigations into the other two incidents are ongoing. We stand in full solidarity with Romania, Latvia and Ukraine. Russia's continued attacks against Ukraine, and the repeated violation of NATO airspace, are unacceptable.
Thank you.
