Source: United Nations (video statements)
Briefing by Rosemary DiCarlo, Under-Secretary-General for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs, on behalf of António Guterres, Secretary-General of the United Nations, on the maintenance of peace and security of Ukraine – Security Council, 10110th meeting.
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“Four years after the Russian Federation launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the war remains a stain on our collective conscience,” UN political chief Rosemary DiCarlo told the Security Council.
Briefing the Security Council today (24 Feb) on the fourth anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, DiCarlo said, “Day after day – year after year – we have witnessed the cascading consequences of this blatant violation of international law, including the UN Charter.”
She told the Council that despite diplomatic efforts, “last year was the deadliest for Ukrainian civilians since 2022.” More than 15,000 civilians have been killed and more than 41,000 injured since the invasion began, she said, with millions displaced and human rights violations being “rampant.”
“The plight of Ukrainian children is particularly dire,” DiCarlo added. More than 3,200 children have been killed or injured, over one-third remain displaced, and an estimated 2.2 million require humanitarian assistance. “A whole generation has lost years of education as schools have come under fire,” DiCarlo said.
She also cited findings by the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights of “widespread human rights violations – torture, sexual violence, and even executions of prisoners of war and civilian detainees,” adding, that “these acts have gone with virtually no accountability.”
United Kingdom Minister Stephen Doughty recalled visiting Bucha, where a priest told him of “shocking atrocities carried out by the Russians,” describing how he dug graves for members of his congregation. “That conversation stays with me because it shows how Russia wages this war,” Doughty said.
He also noted that Moscow is showing “the same disregard for civilian lives” as in the killing of Alexei Navalny, which Doughty said he was confident “was the result of lethal poisoning.”
Doughty announced that London was unveiling the “largest package of measures since 2022, targeting oil revenues and components, fueling that war machine,” and said partners were working to defend the UN charter, “because Russia’s war is illegal and unprovoked.”
Latvia’s Foreign Minister Baiba Braže said, “There’s only one country and one man standing between us here and peace. This country is Russia and this man is Vladimir Putin,” urging countries to “exert maximum pressure on Russia.”
Deputy Representative Tammy Bruce of the US said, “We are closer to a deal right now than at any point since the war began, but we have obviously not reached it yet.” She noted that “the fighting continues” but said President Trump is “committed to peace” and determined to end “the carnage.”
Russia’s ambassador, Vasily Nebenzya, said Russian intelligence had published a report alleging plans by London and Paris to deliver nuclear weapons to Kyiv, including what he called “the so-called dirty bomb.”
“One option being considered is the French TN75 compact warhead from the M51.1 submarine-launched ballistic missile,” Nebenzya said, describing what he called a “clandestine handover” of European components and technology.
The United Kingdom rejected the claim with Doughty calling it “an outright lie,” adding, “This is yet another piece of disinformation from the Russian Federation, and a clear attempt to deflect attention from its ongoing, unprovoked and illegal invasion of Ukraine.”
Ukraine’s Deputy Foreign Minister Mariana Betsa told the Council that in one recent month alone, Russia launched “over 6000 strike drones, approximately 5500 guided aerial bombs and 158 missiles of various types against Ukrainian people.”
“It is terror directed not at armies but at maternity wards, hospitals, apartment buildings, power plants and buses carrying workers. It is terror meant to extinguish light, heat and hope. Men do not fight like this. Human beings do not act to one another like this,” she said.
Speaking earlier at the stakeout, Betsa welcomed a General Assembly call for “the immediate, full and unconditional cease fire and for comprehensive justice and lasting peace, in line with UN charter and international law.” She underscored the need for “the complete exchange of prisoners of war” and safe return of all internees and civilians who have been "forcibly transferred or deported, including thousands of Ukrainian children.”
Full remarks [as delivered]: https://www.un.org/sg/en/content/sg/statements/2026-02-24/secretary-generals-remarks-the-security-council-ukraine-delivered