“Moscow does not want peace. Moscow wants Ukraine’s capitulation, while Ukraine seeks peace. And that is the difference. Despite the diplomatic efforts of Kyiv, our partners in Washington, and the broader international community, Putin continues to strive for the complete subjugation of Ukraine,” said Poland’s Ambassador to the United Nations, Prof. Krzysztof Szczerski, at a meeting of the UN Security Council.
The fourth anniversary of Russia’s full-scale aggression against Ukraine. Address by the Polish Ambassador to the UN
In his remarks at the Council meeting marking the fourth anniversary of the launch of Russia’s full-scale invasion, the Polish representative, like many other participants in the debate, assessed that despite ongoing talks, Russia is not seeking peace, and that its aggression threatens all of Europe.
“Moscow does not want peace. Moscow wants Ukraine’s capitulation, while Ukraine seeks peace. And that is the difference. Despite the diplomatic efforts of Kyiv, our partners in Washington, and the broader international community, Putin continues to pursue the complete subjugation of Ukraine, as we have already heard from the Russian ambassador,”
Szczerski said.
“This aggression does not end at Ukraine’s borders. We feel it in Poland through hybrid attacks, acts of sabotage, and cynical attempts to destabilize our society, just as many of our partners across Europe do. Let no one be under any illusion: these actions will not undermine our determination to help the nation under attack, but they carry the risk of escalation that should concern us all,”
he added.
The ambassador called for continued support for Ukraine, further sanctions against Russia, and diplomatic efforts aimed at achieving a peace acceptable to the victim of aggression.
Accusations by the Russian ambassador
At times, Tuesday’s discussion in the Council was tense, mainly due to the stance of Russian Ambassador Vasily Nebenzya, who accused France and the United Kingdom of supplying Ukraine with equipment and materials for a “dirty bomb.” He also accused Europe of sabotaging peace talks. The chair of the meeting, UK Minister of State for Europe Stephen Doughty, condemned the Russians’ allegations as groundless, as did France’s representative.
Nebenzya also claimed that Ukrainians and Belarusians, together with Russians, constitute one nation and share a common faith, which Ukrainians had “sold cheaply for thirty pieces of silver.” These remarks prompted a response from Ukraine’s Deputy Foreign Minister Mariana Betsa.
“Mr. Nebenzya (…) you are not Ukrainian, and please do not pretend to be. Secondly, I will never be part of the same nation as Russia. Ukraine is a democratic, free European country, while Russia is an aggressive state committing acts of aggression, terrorism, war crimes against humanity, and genocide,”
she said.
Meanwhile, U.S. Deputy Representative to the UN Tammy Bruce stated that peace is today “closer than ever” thanks to the diplomatic efforts of President Donald Trump’s administration. However, she also emphasized the role of China, Iran, and North Korea, which she described as factors prolonging the war.
“China remains the decisive enabler of Russia’s military-industrial machine. We have repeatedly called on China in this chamber to stop providing Russia with dual-use goods and material components that end up in drones and other weapons used in Ukraine,”
Bruce said.
“China also remains one of the main importers of Russian crude oil. If China truly wants peace, it should immediately stop exporting dual-use goods and stop purchasing Russian oil,”
the U.S. representative stressed.
Earlier, in the General Assembly, the United States did not support the adopted resolution calling for an immediate, complete, and unconditional ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine. Bruce emphasized at the time that the resolution contained “language that is likely to distract” from diplomatic efforts to end the war rather than support them.