Standing before this Assembly of world nations, I wanted to speak about peace and about challenges that the world is facing today — income inequality, pandemics and climate change. Unfortunately, today I have to speak about war — the war in Europe, a war that only deepens and does not resolve other issues.
Ever since the founding of the United Nations, the Organization’s central idea has been that of bringing countries together and ensuring peaceful coexistence. After the terrible suffering of the Second World War, addressing global threats to international peace and security was the overriding concern. We owe a great deal to those past leaders who struggled to recreate global order out of profound disorder. The darkest hour in human history inspired the creation of the rules that remain essential to the global coexistence of nations. For the first time in our history, peace finally became a global value to be protected. Against all odds, the language of military aggression and conquest was condemned.
In the context of global challenges, we often talk about human rights, but what about countries’ right to be sovereign and defend their territorial integrity? On 24 February, a permanent member of the Security Council started an unjustified, unprovoked and illegal war against a neighbouring country. That gross violation of international law undermined the very essence of the United Nations. For the past seven months, Russia’s war on Ukraine has taken a terrible toll on the Ukrainian people. Many thousands have been tortured and killed. Millions have been displaced or forced to flee their homeland.
However, the war has not broken the will of the brave Ukrainian people to defend their country. It has not diminished their fighting spirit. The massacres at Bucha and Izyum have not brought them to their knees. Their inherent love of freedom, passed from one generation to another, is still there, undefeated, unspoiled. Despite all the challenges, Ukrainians have proved to be remarkably strong defenders of liberty and democratic values. Inspired by their heroic struggle, the international community should take an even more active role in boosting Ukrainian resilience to withstand their hardships.
Every State Member of the United Nations is expected to respect the rules of international order that we have created over the course of decades, and it is up to us to decide what can be tolerated and what cannot, where the red lines are and when they are crossed. How can we tolerate a member of the international community in a war of conquest and annihilation, a country that is deliberately attacking the rules-based world order, a country whose actions make it more difficult for all of us to maintain peace and security across the globe?
Today I call on everyone here to look closely at what is happening in Ukraine. Who is the aggressor and who is the victim? Behind the mask of an energy superpower there is a dangerous colonial Power seeking to occupy and annex its neighbours, searching for reasons to justify the annexation, rewriting history, using economic and energy blackmail and spreading disinformation and propaganda.
We all know that Russia’s violations of the founding principles of the United Nations did not start seven months ago. Its destructive actions have undermined international security for many years, breaching arms- control treaties, using prohibited chemical weapons
both at home and abroad, continually violating the territorial integrity not only of Ukraine, but of Georgia and Moldova as well, and interfering in the elections of other countries. Those are just a few examples.
The ongoing suffering of the Ukrainian people has been further amplified by Russia’s proxy, the Belarusian regime. It has enabled military attacks by another country from its territory. It continues to provide support for offensive operations against Ukraine. Unfortunately, it has surrendered Belarus’s national sovereignty to its big neighbour.
The past few months have also revealed the danger of a looming nuclear disaster in Europe. The deployment of Russian military personnel and weaponry at the Zaporizhzhya nuclear plant is alarming and totally unacceptable. It disregards the safety and security principles that all members of the International Atomic Energy Agency are committed to respecting. A nuclear power plant should never be used as a military base.
Moreover, Russia’s irresponsible rhetoric on the possible use of nuclear weapons directly contradicts its role as a permanent five (P5) State and the commitment it made in the January P5 leaders’ statement on preventing nuclear war and avoiding arms races. We see a huge gap between declarations and real actions that is undermining trust in a permanent member of the Security Council. We must collectively condemn such actions and require Russia to immediately and unconditionally withdraw all troops from the entire territory of Ukraine. It must also stop its irresponsible and dangerous nuclear rhetoric and behaviour. That should include withdrawing military and other personnel from the Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant.
Lithuania therefore welcomes the active personal involvement of the Secretary-General. His visits to Ukraine demonstrate supreme dedication to the ideals of the United Nations. We note that the efforts of the Secretary-General and Tiirkiye were instrumental in reaching the deal on resuming Ukrainian grain exports. We also acknowledge the positive role played by other actors, such as the African Union leadership, in coming to that arrangement. It is an achievement shared by the whole community of nations. Once again, international efforts have helped us to avert a global catastrophe. The grain exports via Ukrainian ports will sustain and feed millions of people.
We should be in no doubt that it was the war in Ukraine that threatened to trigger global hunger, and we cannot be sure that this danger will not return until the Russian armed forces are withdrawn from the whole territory of Ukraine.
There must be no impunity for the brutal crimes and atrocities committed during the war. Guaranteeing justice and accountability is of vital importance from the standpoint of the credibility of the United Nations and the international community. We should consolidate and advance our legal efforts. We must ensure that all those responsible for this unprecedented assault on Ukrainian and European peace and security are held accountable. Lithuania will continue to engage in accountability mechanisms to address the mass atrocities being committed in Ukraine. I call on the global community to establish a special tribunal to address war crimes in Ukraine. It is also crucially important to ensure effective forms of reparations for the victims of those crimes.
Finally, we must consider the fact that Russia’s war in Ukraine is an extension of the wider context. What do we see in Russia? The human rights situation there is deteriorating. Independent media and non-governmental organizations are being simply banished. Similar developments are taking place in Belarus. Systematic and widespread attacks target civil society, human rights defenders and independent media. The number of political prisoners in Belarus now exceeds 1,200, and it continues to grow. That is truly alarming and requires more attention from the international community. Lithuania has provided asylum to Russians and Belarusians — representatives of non-governmental organizations and independent media — who were persecuted in their home countries.
For Lithuania, the time for a business-as-usual approach is over. We have demonstrated that by building energy independence and accelerating our green transition. I invite all countries to stop financing this bloody war by refusing to buy the aggressor’s energy resources, which would significantly affect its ability to continue this brutal war.
Lithuania has supported Ukraine since the first days of this terrible war. We have not been silent. We have stepped up to help Ukraine in every way we can. Our Government, as well as civil society, has been active in providing both military and humanitarian aid. We have taken in more than 60,000 refugees, mostly
women and children. To help them maintain a sense of belonging, we have established a Ukrainian centre in Vilnius, the first centre of its kind outside Ukraine.
The war must end, but not with peace at any cost. Ukrainian territorial integrity must be fully restored. Any other outcome would mean further atrocities and long-standing insecurity. While the aggressor has already demonstrated its eagerness to endanger the global population, we should not allow ourselves to be frightened. The danger is real. As history shows, pushing back against the aggressor is the only viable option.
Today I remain a strong believer in the transformative power of collective action, based on the principles of democracy, human rights and the rule of law. Together we can ensure global peace and security. Together we will make a difference. Let me assure the Assembly that Lithuania is and will always be a valuable partner in fighting for the right cause — in fighting for long-lasting peace.