On 7 July, the Ukrainian delegation commenced its work at the 112^th Session of the Executive Council of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) in The Hague – the first session of the OPCW governing body in its newly elected composition for the 2026–2028 term.

For Ukraine, this marks a second consecutive two-year term in the OPCW Executive Council. Meanwhile, the Russian Federation remains excluded from this governing body for the third consecutive year, further underscoring the international community’s consistent position that a state which undermines the global chemical weapons prohibition regime and disregards its obligations under the Chemical Weapons Convention cannot play a leading role in upholding and advancing that regime.

The Ukrainian delegation is headed by Ukraine’s Permanent Representative to the OPCW and Ambassador of Ukraine to the Kingdom of the Netherlands Andrii Kostin. In his remarks at the opening of the session, Ambassador Kostin drew participants’ attention to the fact that the meeting was taking place on a Day of Mourning in Kyiv for the victims of yet another wave of massive Russian attacks. He emphasized that, alongside its ongoing missile and drone terror against Ukraine, Russia continues to systematically use toxic chemical agents on the battlefield, in flagrant violation of the Chemical Weapons Convention and in a manner that undermines international security norms.

As a gesture of solidarity with Ukraine and support for the Ukrainian people, representatives of the OPCW Executive Council Member States gathered for a joint photograph in front of the National Flag of Ukraine. This gesture served as yet another demonstration of international support for Ukraine and condemnation of Russia’s ongoing armed aggression.

In line with the instructions of Minister for Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Andrii Sybiha, the Ukrainian delegation will place particular emphasis during the Executive Council session on ensuring a strong international response to chemical threats posed by the Russian Federation. Among the key priorities are further enhancing the OPCW’s fact-finding and attribution capabilities in relation to incidents involving the use of chemical weapons, as well as expanding practical assistance to Ukraine under Article X of the Chemical Weapons Convention.

Ukraine will continue to work closely with OPCW Member States and the OPCW Technical Secretariat to strengthen the international chemical weapons prohibition regime, ensure the full implementation of the Chemical Weapons Convention, and advance accountability for all those responsible for the use of chemical weapons.