Statement at the United Nations General Assembly by H.E. Ms. Baiba Braže, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Latvia
New York, 24 February 2025
Mr President,
Three years ago, Russia unleashed full-scale aggression against its sovereign neighbour – Ukraine.
Three years ago, Russia, a permanent member of the UN Security Council, blocked the Council from taking action mandated by the UN Charter to uphold international peace and security.
Three years ago, the International Court of Justice ordered Russia to stop its military activities in Ukraine.
Three years later, today, Russia, a 140 million nuclear state has failed to take even a fifth of Ukraine’s territory. It has failed to break 40 million Ukrainians. Russia will have lost a million killed and severely wounded, while attacking an innocent neighbour.
There is no shred of doubt that Russia is the unprovoked aggressor in this war.
Let me be unmistakably clear – we all want peace. Ukraine above all wants peace. The only one opposed to peace resides in the Kremlin. Russia continues to bomb Ukrainian cities and kill civilians every single day, while pretending to engage in a peace process.
Latvia welcomes all efforts to bring a comprehensive, just, and lasting peace for Ukraine.
A peace that is rooted in the UN Charter and international law.
A peace that guarantees Ukraine’s sovereignty, territorial integrity, and freedom to choose its future.
A peace that ensures that Russia is unable to resume its brutal aggression.
In principle, peace is easy to achieve.
Russia needs to stops fighting – then it’s the end of the war. If Ukraine stops fighting, it’s the end of Ukraine.
Ukraine has exercised its right to self-defence, clearly covered in Article 51 of the UN Charter. Therefore, countries providing aid to Ukraine are not party to the conflict.
Mr President,
The Kremlin has a new favourite talking point – saying that the “root causes” of the war need to be addressed.
Very well, let’s talk about those root causes.
Contrary to the Kremlin’s twisted fantasies, this war is not about NATO.
NATO is not a party to the war. Nor is it the reason for the war. Ukraine’s NATO membership was not debated in 2014 or 2022.
This war is not about fascism in Ukraine, or protecting the rights of Russian speakers. No international human rights organisation has ever recorded anything of the sort.
The Kremlin’s blatant lies have been debunked every single day that Ukraine continues to stand strong as a resilient democracy.
The root causes of the war are Russia’s imperial, colonial ambitions. Russia seeks to restore its imperial sphere of influence and change the international order. Russia seeks to control the future and choices of sovereign countries and peoples.
Therefore, ladies and gentlemen, addressing the root causes of this war requires stopping Russia’s imperial conquest, once and for all.
Therefore, we call on all countries, their parliaments and governments to significantly increase military, political, economic, financial, and humanitarian assistance to Ukraine. The stronger Ukraine is in the battlefield, the stronger its position will be at the diplomatic table.
Mr President,
This is not an isolated war, nor is it just a European issue. Its consequences are felt across the globe, affecting the food security and energy security of some of the world’s most vulnerable regions.
According to several estimates, Russia’s war against Ukraine has cost around 2% of the global GDP.
Impunity for aggression in one place creates a domino effect, emboldening efforts to undermine international order elsewhere. Russia must face international accountability for the crime of aggression.
We stand with Ukraine in its existential fight.
Thank you!