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Security Council Hears Briefings on Ukraine

Meetings Coverage
Security Council

9601st Meeting (AM)

SC/15659
12 April 2024

(Note: The final summary of this meeting will be available at a later time.)

THREATS TO INTERNATIONAL PEACE AND SECURITY

Briefings

IVOR FUNG, Chief of the Conventional Arms Branch at the United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs, said that the provision of military assistance and transfers of arms and ammunition to the Ukrainian armed forces have continued in the context of the Russian Federation's full-scale invasion of its neighbouring State in violation of the Charter of the United Nations and international law. These transfers have reportedly included heavy conventional weapons, such as battle tanks, armoured combat vehicles, combat aircraft, helicopters, large-calibre artillery systems, missile systems and uncrewed combat aerial vehicles, as well as remotely operated munitions, small arms and light weapons and their ammunition. There have also been reports of States transferring, or planning to transfer, weapons such as uncrewed aerial vehicles, ballistic missiles and ammunition to the Russian armed forces and that these weapons have been used in Ukraine. "Any transfer of weapons and ammunition must take place within the applicable international legal framework, including of course, relevant Security Council resolutions," he emphasized.

Expressing concern about the reports on the use of anti-personnel landmines and the transfer and use of cluster munitions in Ukraine, he called on Member States to sign, ratify and fully implement the Convention on the Prohibition of the Use, Stockpiling, Production and Transfer of Anti-Personnel Mines and on their Destruction, and the Convention on Cluster Munitions. He also called on all relevant parties to abide by their obligations under the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons, and not to transfer or use any mines prohibited by its amended Protocol II. "The influx of weapons and ammunition into any armed conflict can contribute to escalation and presents significant risks of diversion and proliferation even after the conflict has ended," he said, underscoring the need for measures to address the risk of diversion to unauthorized end-users.

Pointing to international arms control instruments such as the Arms Trade Treaty; the Protocol against the Illicit Manufacturing of and Trafficking in Firearms, their Parts and Components and Ammunition; the Programme of Action on Small Arms and Light Weapons and its International Tracing Instrument; and the Global Framework for Through-life Conventional Ammunition Management, he stressed: "Their universalization, as well as full and effective implementation, must remain a priority." Beyond addressing arms transfers, all parties to any armed conflict must protect civilians and refrain from attacks against critical civilian infrastructure, including energy infrastructure.

Since 24 February 2022, the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) has verified 31,366 civilian casualties, including 10,810 killed and 20,556 injured in Ukraine, he noted. However, the actual figures are likely much higher. Most civilian casualties result from the use of explosive weapons with wide area effects in populated areas, he said, urging States, if they have not done so, to endorse, at the upcoming first follow-up conference in Oslo, the Political Declaration on Strengthening the Protection of Civilians from the Humanitarian Consequences Arising from the Use of Explosive Weapons in Populated Areas adopted in November 2022. Regrettably, the use of armed uncrewed aerial vehicles and missiles has not ceased to cause civilian casualties and damage to civilian infrastructure. "Deliberate, direct, as well as indiscriminate and disproportionate attacks against civilians and civilian infrastructure violate international humanitarian law," he said, declaring: "They are unacceptable and must end immediately."

KAREN KWIATKOWSKI, political commentator, said that — as a retired United States Air Force lieutenant colonel — she began to question her Government in 2002 when she witnessed her organization within the Pentagon manipulate information to sell the unjustified war in Iraq. Focusing her briefing on Western aid to Ukraine, she said it has enabled war and opposed peace. "It is not sent there for Ukrainians, but for a Government in Kyiv initially chosen via a [...] CIA-influenced coup in 2014," she said, adding that Western assistance in weapons, surveillance, and intelligence enabled eight years of Kyiv's assault on Donbas. "The Russian military response — no doubt violent, deadly, and in violation of international law — reminds me of several US military operations I supported when in uniform," she recalled.

Western arms shipments have turned the Ukrainian military into a massive "Rube Goldberg machine", she observed, pointing to reactive and chaotic defence operations, with major weapons systems lost due to improper deployment. "The aid-dependent and logistically impaired Ukrainian Army has become a slaughterhouse for Ukrainian men," she stressed, citing Kyiv's frantic demand for more troops to throw at the front as "a direct result of Western military assistance". The Western "investment" has reduced Washington, D.C.'s and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)'s stockpiles and Kyiv's ability to negotiate directly with Moscow. In this sense, Western leaders "do not wish to lose their deposit", she pointed out. As billions of dollars of weapons, munitions, supplies and money entered Ukraine, another "Rube Goldberg" problem arose — this time, with Government accountability. "Where does this equipment go, and which bank accounts are fattened?" she asked.

She further underscored that Western aid to Ukraine has accelerated poverty and devastation and widened the gap between rich and poor throughout the country. Massive new United States military bases built in Romania and Poland echo the base-building spree Washington, D.C., embarked upon in the Balkans in the late 1990s and later in the Middle East. "Does the US cash flow to Ukraine truly make sense to Poland, Romania and other NATO members?" she inquired, stressing that Western aid has caused NATO division, which has increased the risk of escalation and silenced peaceful voices. "Instead of what most Ukrainians want, they are getting more weapons," she stated, pointing to thousands of US-confiscated Iranian machine guns, sniper rifles, rocket launchers, and hundreds of thousands of rounds of ammunition that were sent to Ukraine last week. "Western war aid has ended Ukrainian democracy, divided the Ukrainian people physically and spiritually, impoverished them and warped their economy," she concluded.

Statements

The representative of the Russian Federation recalled that arming a State and encouraging an openly hostile policy against its neighbour was the customary practice of colonizers who, for decades, pitted neighbours against each other in Africa, Asia and Latin America and profited off the wars. "They did not invent anything new for the twenty-first century — today, the victim is Ukraine and the object is Russia, and therein lies the real subtext of the Ukrainian crisis which reached the 'hot phase' in February 2022," he said. Today, however, the West has other concerns, he emphasized — namely, to keep afloat the "Zelenskyy posse". Western sponsors of the Kyiv regime assured the Ukrainian President that, with their assistance, Ukraine would be able to vanquish the Russian Federation. Stating that this was "an illusion that the Kyiv leader clung to for a long time", he underscored: "If Ukraine had wanted peace, they would have long achieved peace there."

"Our justified and well-grounded demands to our neighbour are well-known," he emphasized, recalling that Germany was able to end Nazism and that Japan was able to end militarism without the disappearance of these States. Asking why Ukraine cannot do the same, he answered: "Because the Ukraine that would be friendly with Russia is not needed by Washington, London and Brussels." He went on to say that Ukraine, losing on the battlefield, is transforming into "an openly terrorist State", detailing the preliminary results of his Government's investigation into the 22 March attack at Crocus City Hall in Krasnogorsk. "At this juncture, there is no doubt whatsoever about the direct involvement of Ukraine in this vile, inhumane crime," he stressed. Addressing the collective West, he said that, by "allowing your child — the Kyiv regime — to do anything it wishes, you have given rise to a monster" whose "terrorist tentacles" are now visible. "Your Frankenstein may turn on you," he warned.

The representative of the Republic of Korea said that military cooperation between the Russian Federation and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea would be a more relevant topic for today's meeting than the issue of weapon transfers to Ukraine raised by Moscow, which began its brutal war against its neighbor. The Russian Federation cast a veto the Security Council's Panel of Experts which provided scrutiny of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea's attempts to evade sanctions and advance its weapons programme because the Kremlin didn't want the body to shed light on its dark spot — the illegal supply of ammunition and ballistic missiles to Moscow from Pyongyang. The recent report by the Panel stated that it was investigating reports on the arms dealings between the two. Tolerating the erosion of international law and the UN Charter sets a dangerous precedent, promoting the rule of power over the rule of law. "These repercussions are compounded by the fact that it is a permanent member of the Security Council who violated the golden rules governing international relations for decades," he stated.

The representative of the United Kingdom said: "Let us be clear [...] about who is breaking international law." The Russian Federation has repeatedly violated Council resolutions by procuring weapons from Pyongyang and Tehran to use in Ukraine, trying to hide its behaviour by vetoing the extension of the mandate of the UN Panel of Experts monitoring the Democratic People's Republic of Korea's violations. Moscow does not care about arms control, he observed, noting that the country has used Kinzhal hypersonic cruise missiles, dual-capable ballistic missiles, cluster munitions and landmines. "What Russia wants is complete freedom to intimidate, coerce and kill the people of Ukraine; we are talking about unchecked aggression," he asserted. Against this backdrop, global support is helping Ukraine defend itself by providing air defences to protect its cities and people and weapons to fight back against the Russian Federation's army. London has given around $15 billion to date and will remain by Ukraine's side as it fights Moscow's aggression, he pledged, stating: "We will do whatever it takes, for as long as it takes, to ensure Ukraine wins."

The representative of Guyana recalled the Council meeting on 11 April, during which members heard that the war has claimed the lives of more than 10,000 civilians. Underscoring that it is "equally alarming" that civilian infrastructure continues to be targeted in a manner that disregards the principles of distinction, proportionality and precaution, she observed that, as a result, about 40 per cent of Ukraine's population requires multisectoral humanitarian assistance. Against this backdrop, she observed that any supply of weapons and ammunition into any armed conflict can further escalate or prolong the violence and risks diversion. She therefore called on all parties involved to ensure that such transfers are made in compliance with relevant disarmament instruments and Council resolutions. She also urged controls to prevent irregular transfer, adding that mines and explosive ordnance prevent civilians from accessing critical infrastructure and contribute to food insecurity by contaminating agricultural lands.

The representative of Switzerland said that the Russian Federation's military aggression against its neighbour violates fundamental principles of international law, rejecting any attempt to justify this act. Ukraine has the right to ensure its security and defend its territorial integrity and sovereignty. Respect for multilateral conventions and instruments for arms transfer control, including Council resolutions, is essential. Her delegation was dismayed by the apparent non-respect of applicable resolutions through past and current illegal arms transfers from Iran and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea to the Russian Federation, she said, also expressing regret over Moscow's use of a veto two weeks ago to end the mandate of the Panel of Experts.

The representative of Japan condemned Moscow's repeated nuclear rhetoric, noting that — having suffered atomic bombings during the war — her country will never accept nuclear threats, let alone any use of nuclear weapons. "The catastrophes of Hiroshima and Nagasaki must never be repeated," she stated. Additionally, she condemned the transfer of weapons from the Democratic People's Republic of Korea to the Russian Federation, in violation of Council resolutions. She also drew attention to another clear violation of Council resolutions publicly announced by both sides: a transfer of the Russian-made automobile from the Russian Federation to the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. She underscored that peace in Ukraine must be based on the UN Charter. "To allow Russia to remain in Ukraine's territories it temporarily occupies would be to allow the status quo to be changed by force," she cautioned, citing it as "an outright challenge to the international order based on the rule of law".

The representative of France recalled the Council's 11 April meeting, during which the organ heard about the overwhelming toll of Russian Federation strikes against civilians, residential neighbourhoods and energy infrastructure. "No one will be fooled, therefore, by this new attempt on the part of Russia to invert responsibility for this war," he emphasized. Today, because that country wished, once again, to discuss the issue of weapons supplies — "indeed, for the fourteenth time" — he underlined, once again, the need to recall the facts. The Russian Federation chose to start this war. Further, it chose to furnish itself with munitions from Pyongyang and, to conceal this, chose to cast its veto to block the mandate renewal for the relevant sanctions regime's Panel of Experts. "Allowing Russia to achieve its goals would send a catastrophic message out to all States attempting to redraw borders by force," he underscored, stressing that this is the reason France decided to provide political and military support to Ukraine.

The representative of Sierra Leone noted the differing perspectives presented on the supply of arms. Given the prevailing circumstances, his delegation believes it important to adhere to international legal frameworks in all weapon transfers. For any transfer of weapons in conflict situations to take place, it is necessary to conduct pre-transfer risk assessments and end-user verification to prevent the diversion of arms and ammunition, he said. In essence, any transfer of weapons must occur within the applicable international legal framework, including relevant Council resolutions.

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