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Turning to the humanitarian crisis, [Rosemary DiCarlo, Under-Secretary-General for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs] noted that 12.7 million people will require assistance this year and urged the international community to fully support the 2025 Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan. The attacks “have also made the situation increasingly dangerous for the diplomatic community and international organizations,” she pointed out, stressing that diplomatic and international personnel and assets must be protected.

The Council also heard from Ukraine’s delegate, who stressed the need to counteract the Russian Federation’s “aggressive, imperialistic policies”. Recalling that one of Russian Federation President Vladimir V. Putin’s closest accomplices recently expressed the hope that “Ukraine will cease to exist in 2025,” he said this destructive ambition has guided that country’s policy for decades. It is essential to strengthen Ukraine’s air defence capabilities and dry up the Russian Federation’s oil and gas revenue streams by strengthening sanctions. That country’s “war budget for 2025 is 25 per cent bigger than last year’s”, he said, adding: “If we want to stop the war, we should cut off Putin's cash flow.”

However, the representative of the Russian Federation said that things are quickly unravelling for Kyiv. Many high-level officials are fleeing the country, he said, adding that those speaking out against Ukraine’s regime face torture. The Ukrainian Armed Forces are being pushed back, and losing thousands of soldiers. Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is nervous about the danger of having fresh elections, and the fact that the United States Government could audit assistance to Ukraine and examine the scope of the corruption in his country, he said, adding that there are rumours in Kyiv that the regime is preparing a large-scale provocation for which Russian Federation will be blamed.

As for the “Washington puppeteers” of the Kyiv regime, he said, they are worried that their investment in the “anti-Russia project” is going to collapse, similar to what happened with the United States in 2021 in Afghanistan. The rhetoric of the United States and its satellites here has changed considerably, he went on to say. “Initially, they were talking about the need to ensure that Ukraine is victorious,” he said. Then they moved on to supporting the Kyiv regime as long as it takes for the Russian Federation not to be victorious. And today, the idea is to ensure that the “Ukrainian sinking ship” has a strong negotiating position, he said.

The representative of the United States countered this, stressing that “in more than 1,000 days of this reckless war of choice, Putin has failed to achieve any of his goals in Ukraine; instead, he has left Russia’s power and influence greatly diminished”. Some 700,000 Russian soldiers are dead or injured. Meanwhile, Ukraine remains “strong and defiant” as a free and sovereign democracy.

The Russian Federation’s forces have systematically attacked Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, “weaponizing winter” by leaving thousands of households without power, she said. They have abducted Ukrainian children and tried to erase their identities. And yet China’s exports continue to directly fuel the Russian Federation’s war against Ukraine and its attacks against civilian infrastructure. “This support makes China the decisive enabler of Russia’s war,” she added.

But, China’s delegate described this as “downright lies through and through” adding that, if his country had really provided military supplies to the Russian Federation, the situation would not be where it is now. His Government has repeatedly emphasized respect for the sovereignty of and territorial integrity of all countries. The United States has used the Ukraine situation to advance its own geopolitical strategy, wanting “nothing more than a weakened and defeated Russian Federation”, he said.

The representative of the Republic of Korea said the testimonies of two soldiers from the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, captured in the Kursk Oblast, clearly demonstrate that troops from that country “are engaged in combat and being dissipated as expendables”. The two soldiers were unaware of being deployed for the war against Ukraine, he said, adding that they were told they were participating in combat simulation drills. “As a native Korean speaker, I can definitively tell that those two soldiers spoke in Korean with North Korean accents,” he said. “Despite Pyongyang’s efforts to muzzle any rumors,” he said, soldiers’ families in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea are fearful that their “sons and brothers are being used as slave soldiers and mere cannon fodder”.

Speakers also highlighted the humanitarian suffering, with the representative of Denmark noting that “Each passing day brings further death, destruction and hardship,” for Ukrainians. Millions struggle to secure heating, water and electricity in the cold winter months. “These are not just abstract words in a statement; these represent human lives,” she added. Somalia’s delegate stressed the need to ensure humanitarian aid, noting that 2 million children require “multisectoral assistance”, while Panama’s representative demanded that humanitarian personnel be protected. “They make herculean efforts to provide assistance to the thousands of civilians unjustly affected,” he added. Pakistan’s delegate stressed that “the solution lies in dialogue and negotiations and not on the battlefield”.

Joyful reactions of Palestinians in Deir el-Balah after news on ceasefire, Gaza Strip. © 2025 UNRWA Photo by Ashraf Amra