Situation in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine

Statement delivered by HE Ambassador Bob Rae, Permanent Representative of Canada

February 23, 2022 - UN General Assembly

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Thank you very much Mr. Vice-President,

We meet at a time of a direct threat to the peace and security of the world community. Over the last several months, we have all seen an unprecedented increase of military activity in and around Ukraine by the Russian government. We are seeing the greatest massing of troops, of missiles, of artillery, and of aircraft capability since 1945.

This period has also been marked by, as my colleague from Liechtenstein pointed out, hostile cyber operations on Ukraine and several other countries, the forcible and unjustifiable removal of civilian populations from Ukraine to Russia, and a steady flow of propaganda and disinformation from Moscow and Russian-controlled outlets on every conceivable social media platform in the world.

It has been eight years since Russia invaded and illegally occupied Crimea in a flagrant violation of Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, and in clear breach of the UN Charter itself. In 1945 the Soviet Union was present at the drafting and at the adoption of the Charter. Today, the Russian Federation is a member of a “Group of Friends” – we all know Group of Friends in the UN - a “Group of Friends of the Charter”, so we can only assume that they know perfectly well what the Charter says and what it means.

So - I happen to have brought my copy of the Charter with me - what does the Charter say? Article II, it says, “The Organization [that’s to say the United Nations] is based on the principle of the sovereign equality of all of its members”. What does that mean? It means that there are no second-class states in this organization. There is no back of the bus in the United Nations. There is no nation that’s less integral, or less sovereign, than any other nation. And no nation has the right to undermine the integrity of any other nation. That’s what it means, that’s what the “sovereign equality” means.

It goes on to say, “All Members shall settle their international disputes by peaceful means in such a manner that international peace and security, and justice, are not endangered.” So when we say desist, dialogue, de-escalate, we’re not asking someone to do us a favour, we’re asking them to do what they’re actually signed up to do. And that’s the challenge.

And finally, “All Members shall refrain in their international relations from the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any state, or in any other manner inconsistent with the Purposes of the United Nations.” This is not an option. This is not something to say, well if you’d like to do this perhaps you’d like to consider doing it this way. We’re not asking any nation state, any member state, to do us a favour. We’re asking them to follow the rules, and to follow the law.

Despite these solemn undertakings, Russia has gone out of its way to undermine the sovereignty and territorial integrity of its neighbour, Ukraine. From the outset of his assuming the Presidency of his country, President Putin has made it clear that he does not accept that Ukraine is an autonomous and sovereign nation. And that is exactly what he repeated on Monday. Only two days ago, he said the same thing.

During these past several years, Russia has continued to destabilize Ukraine, and regional security. Canada strongly condemns Russia’s support for the armed formations in Donbas. Russia’s actions there have had grave consequences. They have led to the deaths of well over 13,000 people, including more than 3,000 civilians, and have internally displaced 1.5 million Ukrainians. Many more Ukrainians are in need of humanitarian assistance.

We are now on the brink of an even more devastating situation, and despite its denials, its campaign of disinformation, its fabrications, lies and propaganda, Russia has to accept responsibility for the loss of life, the destruction of peace, and the chaos it has created.

We strongly condemn the recognition by Russia of the so-called Donetsk and Luhansk People’s Republics and its decision to move troops into Ukraine under what they call “peacekeeping”, but anyone else who understand the meaning of language would call “warmaking”. They’re not peacekeepers, they’re soldiers who are there to invade. Their actions violate several treaties and international agreements to which Russia is a signatory, including the Budapest Accords, the Minsk Agreements, and of course the Charter. These come with obligations – obligations that Russia is clearly rejecting.

As demonstrated today, Canada and the international community are united and steadfast in our support for Ukraine and for its people. We are implementing responsive measures, including economic sanctions. If Russia further escalates, we will follow with more severe measures. Russia and its acolytes can spin and can contort all they want, but the violations of international law are theirs: the loss of life, the wounding, the pain and suffering, are all their responsibilities. As it’s been said, this is President Putin’s choice. We shall respond to any further violations of the UN Charter collectively with our allies, and with great determination.

It is never too late to stop, it’s never too late to make a turn to diplomacy, to dialogue and to negotiation. Together with our partners in Europe, in NATO, and the OSCE, Canada has made it very clear and I repeat today, we are prepared to talk directly about mutual reductions in threats to the peace of Europe, to ensure peace, prosperity, and progress for all peoples living in this region that has, in this past century, known too much hardship, too much tragedy, too much loss of life.

We are steadfast in our commitment to Ukraine’s sovereignty, territorial integrity and independence. It’s clear that the Russian Federation’s actions directly threaten this sovereignty, this territorial integrity of Ukraine, and undermine the entire rules-based international order. Russia’s hostile actions have to stop. Ukraine is not a mistake. Ukraine is a sovereign nation. Its autonomy must be respected and its territorial integrity restored. It is a solemn and considered decision of a people who have sought freedom and prosperity on their own terms.

Most of us have referred to President Putin’s speech of Monday. I noticed that my colleague from the Russian Federation did not. But in that speech it’s clear he denied the existence of the other, and when he did that, he made it apparent to the whole world that this is not about NATO, this is not about the European Union, this is about the existence and the right to existence of a member state of this organization.

Mr. President, each and every member state that is here, we all, each and every one of us, has an obligation to uphold the territorial integrity of other states, to oppose invasions and to insist on the peaceful resolution of disputes. That’s what we’ve all signed up for. We didn’t sign up for it just for ourselves. We didn’t say, this applies to us but it doesn’t apply to anyone else. It applies to all of us, no matter how big or how small you may be. It applies to each and every one of us. No nation, no matter however powerful it may be, can take the law into its own hands. No nation has the right to use its might to destroy everyone else’s rights.

Speaking as a proud Canadian I can say we worked for peace with justice in Korea, we worked hard during the Suez Crisis in 1956, and again when we said there was no legal basis for the invasion of Iraq in 2003. These were not easy decisions, they were not necessarily popular in all quarters, or even among some of our allies, but they were based on a powerful belief in law, in rules, in common decency and in multilateralism that is now embedded in our bones. 

We need to remember that invasion and war bring with them terrible losses and terrible hardships. There is no cause for celebration and triumph in these wars, there is only the squalor, the poverty, and the heartache of irreparable loss. There has been much talk about legacies. Let’s be clear, that will be the only legacy of those who are responsible for this entirely avoidable conflict. 

All those countries formerly under the yoke of tyranny, communism, empire, they share this right with Ukraine. Canada’s history, and our proud association with all the people of Eastern Europe have led us to this point. We are partners in peace, we are partners in the quest for security and prosperity, and partners in the struggle for a world bound together by peaceful, friendly relations among nations and a common commitment to democracy and the rule of law.

Mr. President, in closing, I would say this: in the darkest days of World War II, it is said that a representative of the United States government, Harry Hopkins, was having a meeting with Winston Churchill, and at the end of that meeting he said, “Wither thou goest I will go. Wither though lodgest I will lodge. Thy people shall be my people.”

And so Canada says to Ukraine and to all those who are challenged, “Wither thou goest, we will go.”

Thank you Mr. President.