Eighty years ago, on October 24, 1945, after the horrors of World War II, the Charter of the United Nations came into force. Since then, a new global institution, the UN, has been working to bring countries together to protect future generations from the scourge of war and to ensure peace, security, and dignity for all peoples. The values enshrined in the Charter remain the foundation of the international order to this day.

As a founding member of the UN, Ukraine is proud of its role in the creation of the Organization. At the conference in San Francisco, the Ukrainian delegation coordinated the process of preparing the Preamble and the Goals and Principles of the UN Charter, laying the foundation for the modern collective security system.

Ukraine's significant contribution to the activities of the UN is also confirmed by our participation in its main bodies.

In 1997-1998, prominent Ukrainian diplomat and statesman Hennadiy Udovenko presided over the 52nd session of the UN General Assembly, becoming the first representative of independent Ukraine to hold this high office. Prior to that, from February 1985 to March 1992, he served as Deputy Chairman of the UN Special Committee against Apartheid, playing a prominent role in overcoming apartheid and achieving freedom in South Africa.

The high authority of our state in the UN is also evidenced by Ukraine's repeated election to the UN Security Council. Ukraine has been a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council, which has primary responsibility for maintaining international peace and security, four times, most recently in 2016-2017.

For decades, Ukraine has consistently advocated for peacebuilding, sustainable development, the protection of human rights, and the rule of international law. We have always believed in the power of the UN as the foundation for multilateral cooperation and international solidarity.

Today, the principles of the UN Charter are facing the greatest threat since the Organization's creation — due to the actions of a state that illegally occupies the permanent seat in the Security Council that belonged to the Soviet Union. For more than eleven years, the Russian Federation has been waging a war of aggression against Ukraine, and since 2022, it has been carrying out a full-scale invasion, grossly violating the UN Charter and the foundations of international peace and security.

Russia continues to deliberately strike peaceful Ukrainian cities and communities with missiles and drones, killing and maiming innocent people every day and committing brutal atrocities in the occupied territories. Civilian infrastructure, hospitals, schools, and energy facilities are being targeted by Russian strikes. The occupying forces kidnap Ukrainian citizens, hold them in inhumane conditions, and subject them to torture. All these crimes are part of Moscow's systematic genocidal policy aimed at destroying Ukraine as an independent nation and undermining the international legal order that the UN Charter is designed to protect.

We appreciate the support of the United Nations – humanitarian aid, documentation of war crimes, and the clear position of the General Assembly, which condemned Russian aggression and reaffirmed the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine. This support demonstrates the solidarity of the international community with the Ukrainian people.

Eighty years after the Organization was created, its Charter once again needs to be defended—not only from aggressors, but also from indifference. If international law is not protected, no state will feel safe. The time has come for international law backed by real power. The power of pressure and punishment for aggressors and the power of weapons and security guarantees that can protect a lasting peace for peace-loving states that respect human life and the UN Charter.

Ukraine remains unwavering in its commitment to the UN Charter, the solidarity of peoples and the principles of peace, freedom and dignity.