On Wednesday, September 25, 2024 Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Andrii Sybiha took part in the G20 Ministerial Meeting at the UN in New York. 

In his speech, the Foreign Minister reminded his counterparts of the fragility of international peace and security. 

“Russia’s ongoing war of aggression against Ukraine stands out as a stark reminder of the fragility of international peace and security. This aggression is not just an attack on Ukraine; it is an assault on the principles of sovereignty, territorial integrity, rules-based order, international law and the UN Charter. This is an aggression against all of us,” - the Minister said.

The Ukrainian Foreign Minister drew attention to the unacceptable rhetoric of the Russian Federation regarding nuclear weapons.

“Ukraine proposes a clear path to peace. It’s name is Peace Formula. What do we hear in response from Russia? New nuclear threats. I urge everyone present in this room to take a strong stance against Russia’s dangerous and irresponsible nuclear rhetoric on nuclear weapons,” - stated Minister Sybiha. 

Andrii Sybiha emphasized that it is unacceptable when a permanent member of the Security Council, a nuclear state, Russia, threatens everyone with nuclear weapons.

“The only reason Putin started talking about nuclear weapons is because he wants to scare all of us. But we have proven many times in the past years that fear is not an answer. We should do the opposite. We should not allow Russia to ruin international peace and security while scaring everyone with nuclear weapons. This is nuclear blackmail and terror. And it shall never pass,” - the Minister emphasized.  

Andrii Sybiha called for Ukraine to be invited to the G20 summit in Rio de Janeiro on an important symbolic day, November 19, which marks 1000 days since the beginning of the bloodiest war in Europe since World War II - Russia's full-scale aggression against Ukraine.

“We believe that it will be most appropriate if the topic of Russian aggression against Ukraine is presented at the G20 summit in Rio de Janeiro, and the President of Ukraine could take part in it. This will bring peace closer and help define the date and place of the 2nd Peace Summit. We believe that ignoring this symbolic date by the G20 will demonstrate weakness and unwillingness to solve global problems,” - the minister said. 

The Foreign Minister noted the ambitiousness of the priorities of the Brazilian presidency, including social inclusion, the fight against hunger and poverty, energy transformation and sustainable development of global governance institutions. In his opinion, it is also important to continue to coordinate and consolidate the efforts of partners and donors to implement the Ukrainian humanitarian initiative “Grain from Ukraine”. 

“At the same time, Russian aggression against Ukraine makes it impossible to effectively implement these priorities and sustainable development as such. Russia must be stopped. Otherwise, aggression will become the norm. And tomorrow, all aggressors in all corners of the world will be free to violate borders and seize land by force,” the Minister emphasized.

Andrii Sybiha recalled the words of President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the UN Security Council the day before: there is no separate UN Charter for BRICS or G7, UN Charter for Iran and Russia, or UN Charter for Brazil and China. There is only one UN Charter and we must restore peace based on it.

Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha called on partners to join the implementation of President Zelenskyy's Peace Formula, which is the only realistic path to a comprehensive, just and lasting peace based on the UN Charter: “We urge the international community to engage and support the implementation of the Peace Formula. The quest for peace, justice, and human dignity is not just the responsibility of a few but the duty of us all,” - he emphasized.