Ukraine, Letter of the Permanent Representative: Statement During Urgent Security Council Meeting

Thank you, Mr. President,

I thank the Secretary General for his urgent plea for peace, and Under-Secretary General Rosemary DiCarlo for her briefing.

In this grave moment, Kenya continues to call for respect for the sovereignty, territorial integrity and political independence of Ukraine in line with the core tenets of the United Nations Charter.

Kenya is deeply concerned by the rapid escalation of the conflict risks following the recognition of Donetsk and Luhansk as independent states by the Russian Federation, and the continued military escalation.

We are concerned that there is a serious risk that a conflict enveloping the whole of the Donbas region will occur present trends holding. Such a development would instantly lead to significant loss of life, a humanitarian crisis, and the large-scale population movement of refugees and internally displaced people.

Kenya urgently calls for calm by all parties and their commitment to protecting civilians and civilian objects from any actions contrary to International Law and International Humanitarian Law.

We continue to believe that there is still an opportunity for diplomacy to produce a solution to this dangerous crisis. The required diplomatic steps should seek, in the short-term, for a de-escalation of the situation and the limiting of all military maneuvers to prevent sparking a wider conflict.

For this to happen, there must also be a stated commitment to negotiations between NATO and the Russian Federation in the middle and long term. Such a commitment will need the vision to design a viable security architecture for Europe that protects the sovereignty, territorial integrity and political independence of Ukraine and other states, while being sensitive to the concerns of all relevant parties.

Mr. President, we want to believe that this Chamber, in light of its storied past, retains the wisdom and wherewithal to prevent a catastrophic war.

We have confidence that the United Nations Charter, embraced as a whole, protects Ukraine and all countries, not only those with modest military means but also the world's nuclear powers.

When we consider the recent past of wars undertaken by choice, and when the Charter and International Law were breached, eventually the safety and security of all parties was tragically undermined.

Mr. President, the membership of this Chamber was fundamentally shaped by the states that emerged victorious from World War 2. In doing so, the Charter bestowed on them a special responsibility that reflected the sacrifices they had made to defeat a unique evil to mankind.

We believe that the leaders who designed today's multilateral system were profoundly humbled by the catastrophic war they had survived. So much so that they were inspired to erect the sovereign equality of states as a central pillar of our United Nations.

As such, we urge all members to recall the ruin from war that has been experienced by most states present here. It is in this moment of peril that we can powerfully pivot to recommit to the Charter our predecessors bequeathed us.

A large part of that recommitment would be aided by our listening to the Secretary-General, and utilising his good offices to deliver according to their intended design.

In the coming days, we hope that we will observe de-escalation in Donbas, and that every effort will be made to protect the sovereignty, territorial integrity and political independence of Ukraine.

We further hope that we will benefit from the visionary leadership that the world needs in committing to negotiating a lasting European security architecture that lowers perceptions of threat and promotes cooperation.

I thank you.