Madam President,
I would like to thank High Representative Ms Izumi Nakamitsu for her presentation.
This umpteenth meeting on arms deliveries requested by Russia is just a smokescreen that cannot mask the way in which Ukraine's sovereignty and independence continue to be treated by Russia.
There is indeed an aggressor, Russia, which attacked a sovereign state which did not threaten it in any way, and an attacked one, Ukraine, which is free, like any state, to determine its destiny. Russia will not be able to place responsibility on others for a conflict that it has chosen alone to trigger and continue for almost three years, without any respect for international law.
Remember that Russia ignored the order of the International Court of Justice, which ordered it, as of March 16, 2022, to immediately suspend its military operations. It ignored the resolutions of the United Nations General Assembly, which condemned this aggression seven times, by a very large majority, and called for respect for Ukraine's territorial integrity. We repeat once again: Russia can choose every day to stop its aggression, without prejudice to its own security.
Article 51 of the Charter is very clear: Ukraine has the right to defend itself. The exercise of this right of self-defense includes the possibility of neutralizing Russian military targets involved in operations targeting Ukrainian territory.
Madam President,
For more than a thousand days, a thousand days, Russia has violated international humanitarian law, by carrying out campaigns of systematic strikes, using missiles and drones, directly on civilian populations and on Ukrainian civilian infrastructure, particularly in the area energy. As Ukraine prepares to enter its third winter of war, France will remain committed to meeting the humanitarian needs of the Ukrainian population.
Russia's continuation of this illegal aggression is facilitated by arms deliveries that support its war effort. Russia thus continues to deliberately undermine the foundations of the international non-proliferation architecture, by obtaining drones and ballistic missiles from Iran and, in violation of Security Council resolutions which it nevertheless supported, in munitions and ballistic missiles from North Korea. The deployment of North Korean soldiers to Russia and their engagement alongside the Russian armed forces constitutes a further escalation. This engagement, which is probably an unexpected military exercise for Pyongyang, is unacceptable and dangerous for international peace and security.
France urges all States to refrain from providing Russia with military equipment, dual-use goods, and all components that fuel this war of aggression.
Madam President,
France, with its partners, will continue to stand alongside Ukraine and support it on all levels, for as long as necessary. It will continue to provide Ukraine with the military support essential to the defense of its independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity, in accordance with the Charter.
The so-called capitulation of the attacked cannot be the condition for negotiation. It will never be the foundation of a just and lasting peace, which can have no other basis than respect for the fundamental principles of the Charter, and therefore, for the sovereignty, territorial integrity and independence of Ukraine.
Thank you.
