UN
Security Council Address on Humanitarian Impact of Russia's Invasion of Ukraine
delivered 5 April
2022, UN Headquarters, New York, NY
Thank you, Madam President. Let me also start by
thanking UAE and Ambassador Nussebeh for her successful presidency during the
month of March. Madam President, as you begin your Security Council presidency,
I want to thank the United Kingdom for your leadership and for organizing this
vital discussion on Ukraine, today. I also want to thank the Secretary-General
for his remarks and the other briefers. And I’d like to extend a warm welcome to
President Zelenskyy. I was so moved by the
address he made recently to our
Congress, and we are truly honored by his presence here under the circumstances
that he and Ukraine face, today.
Madam President, last night, I returned from a trip to Moldova and Romania. I
saw with my own eyes the refugee crisis caused by Russia’s unconscionable war. I
spoke to refugees who indicated to me their desires to return to their home. And
we’ve all seen the images on TV of the bombed-out buildings. But what we have
not seen is that behind those destroyed buildings are destroyed lives and
destroyed families. I met with women and children who had fled Ukraine, who
stuffed their lives into backpacks and left the only home they had ever known.
And these were sobering conversations.
One young woman I spoke to came with her six-year-old brother, who has autism
and is struggling with cancer. Their single mother helped them escape to save
their lives, but Russia’s war has interrupted the care her brother desperately
needs.
Another woman I spoke to fled with her eight-year-old from Odessa. The father,
who they had left behind, told them there was shelling right next to their
apartment that very night -- and they very well could have died had they not
left.
A third woman I met told me that she used to love to travel -- but never expected
her next trip would be to flee for her life. When I asked her where she was
from, she started to say, and then she stopped with tears in her eyes and said,
“I’m sorry. I don’t know how to say it: whether I live in Kyiv, or whether I
used to live in Kyiv.” She was realizing, in the moment, just how dramatically
her life had changed because of this senseless war.
These are three stories of more than 10 million people -- six million internally
displaced, four million who have left Ukraine altogether. Four million people
who have relied on the big-heartedness of countries like Moldova, Romania,
Poland, Slovakia, Hungary, and others across the region and the world to welcome
and support all those leaving Ukraine in search of safety. Ukraine’s neighbors
are bearing the brunt of Europe’s most significant refugee crisis since World
War II. And I want these countries to know that they have a committed partner in
the United States.
And that is why the United States announced recently that we are prepared to
provide more than $1 billion in new funding toward humanitarian assistance for
those affected by Russia’s war in Ukraine and its severe impacts around the
world. And it is why we are welcoming up to 100,000 Ukrainians and others
fleeing Russia’s aggression to the United States. We will continue to assist
humanitarian efforts to help the people of Ukraine and all those fleeing Putin’s
violence.
But as heart-wrenching as the stories are that I heard in Moldova and Romania,
there are some stories we will never get to hear: those of the people we saw in
the images out of Bucha. We have all seen the gruesome photos. Lifeless bodies
lying in the streets, apparently summarily executed, their hands tied behind
their backs. As we work to independently confirm the events depicted in these
images, I would remind this Council that based on the currently available
information, the United States has assessed that members of Russia’s forces have
committed war crimes in Ukraine.
And even before seeing the images from Bucha, President Zelenskyy, along with
others in the region, were reporting that children were being abducted -- and
we
heard him on that today. Also abducted are mayors, and doctors, religious leaders,
journalists, and all who dare defy Russia’s aggression. Some of them, according
to credible reports -- including by the Mariupol City Council -- have been taken
to so-called “filtration camps,” where Russian forces are reportedly making tens
of thousands of Ukrainian citizens relocate to Russia.
Reports indicate that Russian Federal Security agents are confiscating passports
and IDs, taking away cellphones, and separating families from one another. I do
not need to spell out what these so-called “filtration camps” are reminiscent
of. It’s chilling and we cannot look away.
Every day, we see more and more how little Russia respects human rights. And
that is why
I announced yesterday that the United States, in coordination with
Ukraine and many other UN Member States, will seek Russia’s suspension from the
UN Human Rights Council.
Given the growing mountain of evidence, Russia should not have a position of
authority in a body whose purpose -- whose very purpose -- is to promote respect
for human rights. Not only is this the height of hypocrisy -- it is dangerous.
Russia is using its membership on the Human Rights Council as a platform for
propaganda to suggest Russia has a legitimate concern for human rights. In fact,
we will hear some of that propaganda here today, I know, and I will not dignify
these lies with a response -- only to say that every lie we hear from the Russian
representative is more evidence that they do not belong on the Human Rights
Council.
A hundred forty UN Member States voted to condemn Russia over its unprovoked war
and the humanitarian crisis it has unleashed upon the people of Ukraine. Here is
my message to all of you: Now is the time to match those words with action and
show the world that we can work responsibly. And I share President Zelenskyy’s
view that this moment requires responsible world powers and global leaders to
show some backbone and stand up to Russia’s dangerous and unprovoked threat
against Ukraine and the world.
The Secretary-General said that confronting this threat is the Security
Council’s charge. It is. And it is also the responsibility of UN leaders and
leaders around the world -- every single Member State with a voice in the GA. No
one can be a shield for Russia’s aggression. Suspending Russia from the Human
Rights Council is something we, collectively, have the power to do in the
General Assembly. Our votes can make real difference.
Russia’s participation on the Human Rights Council hurts the Council’s
credibility. It undermines the entire UN, and it is just plain wrong. Let us
come together to do what is right -- and do right by the Ukrainian people. Let us
take this step to help them to start to rebuild their lives. And let us match
the courage of President Zelenskyy, who we are so honored to have with us today.
President Zelenskyy, I want you to know that we stand with the people of Ukraine
as you face down this brutal attack on your sovereignty, on your democracy, and
on your freedom.
