When we met in this Hall last year, I was cautiously optimistic that the world would slowly but surely find its footing after the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic. My call then was to look forward and focus on strengthening our resilience and preserving our hard-earned development goals (see A/76/PV.11). Little did we know then that only one year later we would find ourselves in a very different world, facing another crisis with tremendous global consequences that reach beyond the pandemic.
On 24 February, war returned to Europe when Russia brutally attacked Ukraine, an independent and sovereign country. Russia is trying to redraw borders using tanks and rockets — something that the world has not seen since Saddam Hussein’s invasion of Kuwait. It is using explicit nuclear blackmail and fake referendums in clear violation of international law. Its war of aggression against Ukraine has destroyed many illusions — the illusion that the security architecture that we created after the fall of the Iron Curtain would continue to pay a peace dividend, guaranteeing stability and security; that the European peace project would prevent war on our continent; and that crises and tensions can and would ultimately be solved by peaceful means, through dialogue and diplomacy.
Russia’s attack was like a geopolitical ice bucket thrown at our face, brutally tearing us from our daydreams of a post-historical and post-national Europe. Deep within us, we clung to the belief that Francis Fukuyama might still be right with his The End of History, at least as far as Europe was concerned. And we trusted that we had learned our lessons after the two horrific World Wars, half a century of the Cold War and the Iron Curtain dividing our continent. Looking back, we have to admit that we were perhaps delusional, naive and, yes, maybe even foolish. Indeed, our holiday from history is over.
Many in this Hall might now think: Why do Europeans make such noise and a fuss over it? They might point to the fact that war and military conflict are an everyday reality in many parts of the planet. They might even accuse us of applying double standards and contend that we only react so strongly to Russia’s invasion because of geographic and cultural proximity, or because the Ukrainians look like us. I firmly reject such a narrative. Let me be very clear: this is a war in Europe, but it is not a European war. In fact, it is an assault against the rules-based international order, which we all established together over the past decades. It is a flagrant and deliberate breach of the founding Charter of this very Organization — our United Nations.
In the Charter, every single State in this Hall has committed to settle international disputes by peaceful means and to refrain from the threat of use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any State. What is worse is that this breach has been committed not by any State, but by a permanent member of the Security Council — the very organ responsible for upholding the Charter and ensuring international peace and security. That puts into question the very foundations of our security and stability.
All of a sudden, we find ourselves in a world in which the rule of law risks being replaced by the law of the jungle. Honestly, such a world poses a fundamental threat to us all, especially to smaller countries, such as Austria — countries that rely on international law as their shield and their protective cloak against unilateralism and the use of force. I firmly believe that the ideas and principles laid down in the Charter are as valid today as they were 77 years ago, when, in 1945,
in his address to the San Francisco Conference, former United States President Harry Truman said,
“We can no longer permit any nation, or group of nations, to attempt to settle their arguments with bombs and bayonets. If we continue to abide by such decisions, we will be forced to accept the fundamental concept of our enemies, namely, that, ‘Might makes right’”.
Those words have not lost their truth or validity. Are we really incapable of learning from history? We are once again facing a country that is attempting to settle its neo-imperialistic score by using bombs and bayonets, targeting civilians and committing atrocities that may amount to war crimes under international humanitarian law. And those bombs and bayonets are not only targeting Ukrainians. They are also targeting the world’s most vulnerable countries, pushing them into a triple crisis of food, energy and financing shortages.
Let me be very clear here: We should not confuse cause and effect. We have to place responsibility firmly where it belongs. Some try to spread the narrative that the triple crisis of food, energy and financing is somehow connected to the sanctions imposed by the European Union on the Russian Federation. That is simply wrong. To put it very clearly, there are no sanctions whatsoever on the exports of grain, oilseeds, other foodstuffs, fertilizers or gas to third countries. Instead, it is actually the Russian Federation that is cynically using food and energy as a weapon, pushing millions of vulnerable people around the world into poverty, hunger and debt. According to the Global Crisis Response Group on Food, Energy and Finance, the triple crisis involving the latter is now affecting 1.7 billion people around the planet. Not even the Soviet Union went that far.
We are living in an era of transformation, with the COVID-19 pandemic, global food and energy shortages, the soaring rise in the cost of living, rapid technological change, climate change and the prospect of a very bumpy road ahead of us as far as the world economy is concerned. Those are indeed scary perspectives. It is no wonder that our citizens feel anxious and insecure. A storm is brewing that will seriously affect millions of people, especially the most vulnerable. That is a recipe for disaster, potentially leading to mass migration and social and political tensions.
We rapidly have to take countermeasures, not only nationally but in global solidarity. This year, Austria is spending more on development assistance and humanitarian aid than ever before, and next year we will increase our respective budgets even more. But we all know in this Hall that no Government alone can shoulder those challenges. We desperately need a functioning multilateral system. We need a rules- based international order with the United Nations at its core. Our security depends on States respecting one another’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. Our political stability rests on the principle of pacta sunt servanda. And our economic prosperity requires functioning export markets and secure supply lines.
The war in Ukraine is not a conflict of East versus West or North versus South. The dividing line runs clearly between the rule of law and the law of the jungle. International law is valid for everyone, no matter the geographical, religious or ethnic context. There is no such thing as first-class or second-class international law. Civilians need to be protected, whether in Mariupol or in the villages of Yemen. Fundamental freedoms and human rights, especially the rights of women and girls, must be respected, whether in Crimea or in Kabul.
Using hunger as a weapon is simply unacceptable, whether by blocking shipments out of Odesa or by preventing humanitarian aid from reaching the province of Tigray. There needs to be accountability for war crimes, whether they happen in Bucha or Aleppo. I am proud that Vienna is host to the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Ukraine. We, the Austrians, will continue to actively support the efforts by the International Criminal Court to shed light on the savage acts committed in Ukraine.
Effective multilateralism and respect for the rule of law have been at the core of Austria’s foreign policy for decades, as symbolized by the United Nations Headquarters in Vienna and our willingness to take on even more responsibility as a candidate in the 2026 elections for a non-permanent member seat on the Security Council. We count on State Members’ support. Constructive dialogue and pragmatic diplomacy will continue to be our guide. It is what Austria as an open and democratic society simply stands for.
I truly believe that we are facing the most challenging time of our political generation. Our actions today will shape the future of our international system, which rose out of the ashes of the two horrible World Wars and the end of the Cold War. I am not saying that the system is perfect — far from it — but at least it is a system in which we are striving to create a world where the rights of all people and the sovereignty of every nation are
respected and peace, sustainability and social justice are possible.
Obviously, these times are heydays for doomsayers. Yet I remain confident that we can and will prevail. Why, one might ask? It is because I deeply believe that our societies based on freedom, pluralism and individual rights are remarkably resilient and have proven so during the pandemic — not despite, but because of our vibrant political debates, opposing opinions, critical media and civil society. They are the key reasons and ingredients that we continue to innovate, adapt and learn from our mistakes to rise in the face of adversity.
I want my children and grandchildren to be able to grow up in a world where rules are applied and respected; where they can live their lives in freedom and without fear; and where might does not make right. Yesterday’s speech by President Vladimir Putin of Russia made it obvious that this conflict will not be over very soon. But let us not give in to fear, self-doubt or defeatism. Let us be steadfast. Let us stand ready to defend our values — the values of the United Nations.