On Monday, February 24, Deputy Foreign Minister of Ukraine, H.E. Mariana Betsa addressed the 11th emergency special session of the UN General Assembly on the third anniversary of the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine.
“Today marks 3 years of the full-scale war by the Russian Federation against Ukraine. Three years of Ukraine’s resistance, heroism and our solidarity,” the Deputy Minister said.
Mariana Betsa emphasized: “The way we answer to the Russian aggression today, the way we answer to Russian crimes and atrocities, the way we answer to the aggression as a tool of statecraft will determine not only Ukraine’s future, not only Europe’s future but the future of the democratic world and the future of the UN.”
Mariana Betsa reminded everyone present in the UNGA session hall:
“Eleven years ago, Ukraine faced one of the most dramatic and challenging periods in its modern history. While resisting an attempt to impose dictatorship, Ukrainians demonstrated dignity and defended their choice for democratic future in the family of European countries.
While the sovereign choice of Ukrainians posed no real threat to Russia, the Kremlin perceived it as a threat to their imperial and neo-colonial ambitions. In Kremlin’s distorted world Ukraine was relegated to the role of a Russian satellite within its sphere of influence.
For Russia, a military solution to this imagined "threat" was always an option. Disinformation campaigns, economic warfare, subversive activities, and election meddling – all of these laid the groundwork for the subsequent Russian aggression against Ukraine.”
The Deputy Foreign Minister of Ukraine emphasized that “this war has never been about Ukraine only. It is about the fundamental right of any nation to exist, to choose its own path, and to live free from aggression. If an aggressor is justified and a victim is blamed for its resilience and will to survive, then no country is safe.
Today, Ukraine fights not only for its own independence but for a world where nations are not divided into predators and pray.
Where no zones of influence or “grey zones” exist.
We are fighting for a world which cannot be divided by another Molotov – Ribbentrop Pact. We stand up for the world where a future of a nation cannot be determined at another Yalta Conference.”
Addressing the UN General Assembly, Mariana Betsa emphasized that the way forward for Ukraine is clear: the only way to ensure a comprehensive, just and lasting peace is to reaffirm our commitment to the UN Charter and agree that the principles enshrined therein - the principle of sovereignty and the principle of territorial integrity of states within their internationally recognized borders - should be the basis of the world order.
For reference: the full text of the statement by the Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, H.E. Mariana Betsa is available at the following link https://mfa.gov.ua/en/news/statement-deputy-minister-foreign-affairs-ukraine-he-mariana-betsa-11th-emergency-special-session-un-general-assembly