Madame President,
Italy fully aligns itself with the statement delivered by the European Union and would like to add some considerations in its national capacity.
On the second tragic anniversary of Russia’s full-scale, unprovoked, unjustifiable, and illegal invasion of Ukraine, we stand together with the Ukrainian people, more united than ever, to reaffirm our unwavering commitment to our shared values grounded in the rules-based multilateral order. The ongoing aggression is a blatant violation of the United Nations’ Charter and a threat to international security and stability: no Country can be safe if the violation of our common principles and rules remains unaccounted for.
The ongoing aggression is also causing dramatic human rights violations both in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine and in Russia. We all suffer the consequences of this war – that like a domino – affects the whole International Community, causing global systematic disruption with multiple harmful consequences that especially impact the most vulnerable Countries in the world.
Madame President,
On this anniversary, Italy condemns in the strongest possible way the intensification of Russia’s campaign of systematic air strikes against civilian targets and critical infrastructure in Ukraine, as well as Russia’s complete disregard to the call rising from the entire membership to put an end to its invasion of Ukraine. Russia has to be accountable for war crimes and the heavy damages caused by its war of aggression.
Assistance to Ukraine has been a priority for Italy since the beginning of the conflict and throughout 2023. We will continue to provide a wide support to Ukraine, including humanitarian aid and reception measures for refugees, while strongly supporting the European Union initiatives. Italy intends as well to play an active role in the social and economic recovery of the Country. A bilateral Conference on the reconstruction of Ukraine was organised in Rome in April 2023, while in 2025 we will host the Ukraine Recovery Conference: together we will lay the foundations for a prosperous independent Ukraine within our common European family.
Additionally, Italy fully supports the humanitarian actors who are working tirelessly to ensure the protection of the population: rapid, safe and unhindered access to humanitarian assistance for those in need in Ukraine must be guaranteed. As the current Chair of the Mine Action Support Group, Italy is particularly proud of the broad engagement of the International Community together with the UN to support the swift demining of the Country. The strong commitment of the Group has been reaffirmed in an event hosted on the 22 of February here at the UN: it allowed to gather a new momentum in the demining of the Ukrainian territory to prevent further humanitarian impact, especially on children, and support agriculture to the benefit of global food security.
Madame President,
We are committed to the sovereignty, independence, unity, and territorial integrity of Ukraine within its internationally recognized borders; political, military and economic support for Ukraine is one of the key priorities of our G7 Presidency and we are determined to continue doing so as long as necessary to reach a just, comprehensive and lasting peace. These principles have been at the center of the G7 Leaders Meeting convened by Italy on the 24 of February to mark the day of the second anniversary of the aggression, with the participation of the President of Ukraine, President Zelensky.
We strongly believe it is more important than ever to engage the whole international community to contribute to the solution of this devastating, senseless war. We need diplomacy, also to take into account the legitimate concerns and the expectations of developing countries, which are bearing the broader consequences of this conflict, in terms of disruptions to global supply chains and food security. The instability in trade routes and commodity markets directly affects the Countries most reliant on imported goods. Furthermore, the conflict exacerbates food insecurity by disrupting agricultural production and distribution networks, leading to shortages and price spikes, while diverting resources from pressing humanitarian crises in other regions, compounding the plight of vulnerable populations.
The only real way to alleviate people suffering in Ukraine and tackle the global humanitarian consequences of Russia’s aggression is to put an end to this war. To date, we have not seen evidence that Russia is committed to genuine and sustainable peace efforts. Italy remains committed to collaborating with all sincere partners to ensure the prompt, complete, and unconditional withdrawal of the aggressor from the entirety of Ukraine’s territory. Italy is ready to do its part in this direction. Now it is the time to intensify our collective efforts to achieve this goal.
Thank you Madame President.
