At the UNSC Dutch MFA Wopke Hoekstra on Russian aggressive war in Ukraine anniversary 24 Feb 2023

The UN Security Council had an open session on the aggressive war conducted by Russia in the Ukraine, which started on 24 February 2022. The session was timed for its one-year anniversary. Usually sessions of the UNSC are attended by Permanent Representative Ambassadors. This event was special due to its anniversary nature and thus most of the political masters were present for at least two days in New York - the 11th emergency special session of the United Nations General Assembly "on the draft resolution on principles underlying a comprehensive, just and lasting peace in Ukraine" had preceded this session by one day.

In the attached video segment, Dutch Minister of Foreign Affairs Wopke Hoekstra speaks for five minutes on the topic at hand. He documents the stunning litany of crimes perpetrated by Russia and said that "accountability and justice for Ukraine for Ukrainians and for the international community as a whole is of the utmost importance to ensure a sustainable peace."

"We call on the Russian Federation to abide by the order and provisional measures by the [International Court of Justice] of 16 March 2022. The core stated that Russia shall immediately end the military operations that it commenced on 24 February 2022 in the territory of Ukraine."

"Mr President, the violation of the UN Charter we are witnessing today is an attack on the international community as a whole."

We offer the Hoekstra statement in the hope that it will be useful to the Group of Friends of Accountability Following the Aggression Against Ukraine, and the international community at large.