According to an Ukrinform correspondent, Head of the United Kingdom's Delegation to the OSCE Neil Holland made this statement at an OSCE Permanent Council meeting in Vienna on Thursday.
"We are approaching the 1,000th day of what was sold as a 3-day war. Even in its original conception it was completely unnecessary. Russia can choose to end this war. The UK reaffirms our commitment to Ukraine's independence and territorial integrity, alongside international partners. We will continue to hold Russia accountable and urge a just and lasting peace that respects the UN Charter and Helsinki Final Act," he said.
The British ambassador recalled that after Russia's illegal annexation of Crimea in 2014, "for nearly a decade, Ukrainian citizens in Crimea – particularly Crimean Tatars – have endured systematic persecution, arbitrary detention and enforced disappearances." And with its renewed aggression, Russia "has implemented its campaign to erase Ukrainian culture and identity throughout the newly occupied territories," Holland said.
Read also: U.S. allocates $825M in assistance for Ukraine's energy infrastructure this year"In the 995 days since, Russia's aggression has targeted schools, hospitals, and homes across Ukraine with indiscriminate shelling. Just last week, Russian shells killed 14 civilians, including a one-year-old child, and left 88 more injured. Thousands of other Ukrainian civilians have been killed since February 2022, and millions have been forced to flee. The true scale of devastation is difficult to quantify, but cities such as Mariupol, Bucha, and Kharkiv bear the scars of a terror campaign designed to destabilize Ukraine," he said.
Holland emphasized that Russia's attacks on civilians, the systematic use of torture, forced deportations, and weaponization of energy resources showed complete disregard for human life.
"Russia has even turned to Iran and DPRK for substantial military support. DPRK's deployment of thousands of troops to Russia is a dangerous and reckless development that further destabilizes European security and raises tensions in the Indo-Pacific. Russia relies on third country support to fuel its war machine and prolong the suffering of the Ukrainian people," the British ambassador said.
