24.02.2025 Statement by Denmark at the UNSC briefing on Ukraine
Thank you, Mr. President,
And thank you, Under Secretary DiCarlo, for your briefing.
And I also welcome the participation of Ukraine today in our meeting.
Exactly three years ago, as this Council met in an emergency meeting, as the Secretary-General appealed directly to President Putin, Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
It did so in clear violation of the UN Charter. In continuation of what it started in 2014.
Mr. President,
What followed was – and continues to be – a long and brutal war. A war that has caused and continues to cause tremendous human suffering.
Hundreds of thousands killed, almost 13 million people in humanitarian need and millions displaced.
Attacks on homes, hospitals, schools and critical energy infrastructure continue unabated.
Just this weekend, cities across Ukraine were bombarded by massive drone attacks.
This morning, we gathered in the General Assembly in solidarity with Ukraine, to adopt their resolution and to confirm our commitment to the United Nations Charter. Denmark voted in favour of that resolution. Indeed, so did a widespread number of Member States.
Let there be no doubt. And we have said that before, no one wants peace more than Ukraine.
Today, the international community reiterated that call. For a lasting peace in Ukraine, based on the purposes and principles of the UN Charter. In full respect of Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.
It is simply astounding that today, in the 21st century, we must fight for these basic rules. Fundamental rules that we all agreed to nearly 80 years ago.
Mr. President,
What is needed is not just the absence of war. What is needed is a just and fair peace that does not reward the aggressor and does not punish the victim.
We must not undermine international law, territorial integrity or the sovereignty of an independent country.
International law and the UN Charter are our strongest safeguard against a world where might makes right.
They are principles that all of us have a duty to protect and to defend.
They are the essence of the UN Charter, of this very Organisation.
Mr President,
Denmark welcomes conversations about peace for Ukraine. For Ukraine – and with Ukraine. Peace talks that can lead to a comprehensive, just and lasting peace.
We need a peace where Ukraine does not have to live in fear and insecurity. A peace where no-one wonders which country is next in line. A peace where the right security guarantees will prevent another devastating aggression.
This war was imposed on Ukraine. But it has now first and foremost become about Ukraine’s right to independently decide its own future.
Ukraine is a European country. Part of the European family. At the heart of Europe. Therefore, this war is inherently also about European security and freedom..
Europe has been supporting Ukraine from day one. And in Europe we are boosting our support for Ukraine even more. We want to ensure that this harrowing war does not repeat itself in the near future.
Mr. President,
I repeat the messages that you will have heard Ukrainian and European colleagues voice on multiple occasions. Messages that sadly bear repeating today:
Nothing about Ukraine without Ukraine.
Nothing about European security without Europe.
The importance of this message simply cannot be overstated. It is the only way we will succeed in creating a peace that will actually last.
I truly believe that this is in the interest of everyone around this table, too.
In closing, Mr. President,
The suffering can end today, if Russia stops its illegal full-scale war.
The people of Ukraine are counting on us. We cannot let them down. They cannot look to the UN and see their futures compromised, their country carved up, their borders redrawn. They deserve peace and prosperity.
Let this be the last year we gather at the UN to mark another anniversary of this senseless war.
Let 2025 be the year that the war is brought to a just end. For good.
I thank you.