american food and agriculture. the state of agriculture is strong because of the strength of america's farmers, ranchers, ag producers. congress has the responsibility to get them the resources they need to protect the resources they have to feed fuel, clothe, and feed the world. we must do our job to help. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. pursuant to clause 12-a of rule 1, the chair declares the house in recess until noon today.

and bring back a modicum of safety. my counterparts in moscow assured me of the intent to study those ideas. we agree to remain in close

contact. like hemingway, from these meetings, believing that we have a very long road, a long road ahead. but it must be traveled and madam president, we will travel it. tomorrow, i hope to travel, i plan to travel to ukraine to have discusses with senior authorities from the ukrainian government in kyiv on thursday on these same issues and others if they will no doubt present to any -- see firsthand the humanitarian response. madam president, thanks to generous donor contributions, many from governments in this chamber, the humanitarian response since february has indeed being scaled up allowing us to meet the needs of 1 1/2 million people. we will need sustained financial support for need in ukraine. and like the secretary general, i want to stress, as he has done

consistently, that funding must not be diverted from other crises. and madam president -- [no audio] afghanistan. that's one example. as you heard from david beasley last week, conflict, climate shock, covid, compounded by the soaring food and fuel costs indicated by the secretary general could push another 47 million people globally into severe food insecurity. so the total number of people around the world who will not know where their next meal will come from could be driven to the astonishing figure of 325 million people around the world. that is by a long distance the highest in recent history and double what was -- what it was three years ago. so madam president, i remind the

council of what the council already knows well. the world cannot afford this war and neither can the people of ukraine, and like all others, i call member states to support all efforts from whatever part they come from in the pursuit of peace and the alleviation of humanitarian posturing, for the same of the people of ukraine, for the sake of those around the world who cannot afford to bear the additional burden this war imposes on them and all of us, we must, as the secretary general said -- the others. thank you, madam president. >> i thank martin griffiths for his briefing. i now give the floor to his excellency, mr. volodymyr zelenskyy, the president of ukraine. you have the floor, sir. president zelenskyy: dear madam,

chairman, dear mr. secretary general, distinguished members of the security council and other members of this meeting, thank you very much for this opportunity. i am sure that all the representatives of the united nations member states will hear me today. yesterday, i returned from our city of bucha recently liberated from russian troops. not far from kyiv. so there is not a single crime they would not commit there. the russian military surged for and purposefully killed anyone that served our country. they killed -- shot and killed women outside their houses when they just tried to call someone who is alive. they killed entire families, adults and children. and they tried to burn the bodies. i am addressing you on behalf of the people who honor the memory of the deceased every single day in the memory of the civilians who died, who were shot and

killed in the back of their head after being tortured. some of them were shot on the streets. others were thrown into the wells. so they died there in suffering. they were killed in their apartment, houses, blowing up grenades. civilians were crushed by tanks while sitting in their cars in the middle of the road. just for their pleasure. they cut off limbs, cut their throats, slashed their throats. women were raped and killed in front of their children. they were -- their tongued were pulled out only because the aggressor didn't want to hear what they wanted to hear from them. so this is no different from other terrorists like da'ish. and here it's done by a member of the united nations security council, destroying internal unity borders, countries, and taking the ride of more than a

dozen countries who are self-determined and independent. they pursued consistent policy of destroying ethnic and religious diversity. they inflame wars and deliberately lead them in such a way that to kill as many regular civilians and cities. and to leave the country where they deployed their troops in ruins and failed with mass graves. you all see that and they support hatred at the level of the state and seek to support it through other countries through their system of propaganda and political corruption. they provoke a global food crisis that could lead to famine in africa, asia, and other countries. and surely in large cases in many countries and destroying their domestic security. so where is the security that

the security council needs to guarantee? it's not there, although there is a security council. so where is the peace? what were those guarantees that the united nations needs to guarantee? it is obvious that the key institution of the world, which must ensure the coercion of any aggressor -- simply cannot work effectively. now, the world can see that the russian -- what the russian military did in bucha while keeping the city under their occupation. but the world has yet to see what they have done in other occupied cities and regions of our country. geography might be different, but cruelty is the same. crimes are the same. and accountability must be inevitable. ladies and gentlemen, i would like to remind you of article 1,

chapter 1 of the u.n. charter. what is the purpose of our organization? its purpose is to maintain peace and make sure that peace is adhered to. and now the u.n. charter is violated literally starting with the article 1. and if so, what is the point of all other articles? today, as a result of russia's actions in our country, in ukraine, the most terrible war crimes of all-time we see since the end of world war ii and they are being committed. russian troops are deliberately destroying ukrainian cities to ashes with artillery and air strikes. they are deliberately blocking, creating mass starvation. they are shooting people on the road who is trying to leave. they deliberately blow up shelters where civilians hide

from air strikes. they are deliberately creating conditions in the temporarily occupied territories so that as many as civilians as possible are killed there. the massacre in our city of in bucha is only one, fortunately, only one of many examples of what the occupiers have been doing on our land for the past 41 days. there are many more cities, similar places where the world has yet to learn the full truth. mariupol, kharkiv, dozen of other ukrainian communities, each of them is similar to bucha. i know and you know perfectly well what the representatives of russia will say in response to the accusations of these crimes. they have said that many times the most significant was after they shot down the down the mal

boeing over donbas or during the war in syria. they will blame everyone just to justify their own actions. they will say that there are various versions, different versions, that it is impossible to establish which one of those versions is true. they true. they will even say that the bodies were -- of those killed were allegedly thrown away. and they are staged. but it is 2022 now. we have conclusive evidence. there are satellite images. we can conduct full and transparent investigation that this is what we're interested in, maximum access for journalists. maximum access for international institutions. involvement of the international criminal court. complete truth and full accountability. i'm sure that every member state of the u.n. should be interested in this. for what? in order to punish once and for

all those who consider themselves privileged and believe that they can get away with anything. so show all the other potential war criminals in the world how they will be punished if the biggest one is punished, then everyone is punished. and why did ukraine come to ukraine? i will tell you. because russia -- russia's leadership feels like colonizers in ancient times. they need our wealth. they need our people. russia has deported hundreds of thousands of citizens to their country. they have adopted more than 2,000 children. just simply conducted -- be a ducked those children and continue to do -- abducted to do so. they want to turn them into silent slaves. they are looting villages there they have captured.

they are stealing everything starting with food, ending with earrings, gold earrings that are pulled out and covered with blood. we are dealing with a state that is turning the veto into the u.n. security council into the right to die. this undermines the whole architecture of global security. it allows us to go unpunished so they are destroying everything they can. if this continues, the countries will be relying only on the power of their own arms to ensure their security. and not on international law. not rely on international institutions. the united nations can be simply closed. ladies and gentlemen, i am ready to -- are you ready to close the u.n.? do you think the time of international law is gone? if your answer is no, then you need to act immediately.

the u.n. charter must be restored immediately. the u.n. system must be reformed immediately so the veto is not the right to die, that there is a fair representation in the security council of all regions of the world. the aggressor must be brought to peace immediately. determination is needed. the massacre from syria to sew malia, from afghanistan -- sew malia, from afghanistan to libya, that should have been stopped a long time ago, to tell you the truth. if tyranny had at least once received such a response to the war it had -- it reached, it would have ceased to exist and honest peace would be guaranteed after it and the world would have changed for sure. and then, perhaps, there would not be war in my country against our people -- against ukrainian

people, against our citizens. the world watched and did not want to see either the occupation of crimea or the war against georgia or taking the entire part from moldova and how russia was preparing the basis for other conflicts and wars near their borders. how to stop it? right away, the russian military and those who gave them orders must be brought to justice immediately for war crimes in ukraine. anyone who has given criminal orders and carried out them by killing our people will be brought before the tribunal, which should be similar to the nuremberg tribunals. i'd like to remind russian diplomats, has not escaped punishment for crimes in world

war ii. i would also like to remind you that those did not -- did not go unpunished. nobody of them escaped the punishment but the main thing today is to -- it's time to transform this system at the united nations. so therefore, i propose to convene a global conference and we can do it here in peaceful kyiv in order to determine how we are going to reform the world security system, how we will rely -- how do we establish guarantee of recognition of borders and integrity of states and countries, how we will serve the rule of international law. it is now clear that the goals set in san francisco in 1945 for the creation of a global security international organization it has not been achieved. and it is impossible to achieve

it without reforms. therefore, we must do everything in our power to pass onto the next generation an effective u.n. with the ability to respond to security challenges and prevent aggression and force aagreesors to peace, have the determination and ability to punish if the principles of peace are violated. there can be no more exceptions of privileges. everybody must be equal. all participants of international relations, regardless of economic strength, geographical area and individual ambitions. the power of peace must become dominant. the power of justice and the security power. as humanity has always dreamed of it. ukraine is ready to provide a platform for one of the main offices of the newly updated

security system as similar to the geneva office that deals with human rights, the nairobi office that deals with environmental protection. in kyiv, we can have a new office that can specialize in preventive measures to maintain peace. i'd like to remind you of our peaceful mission in afghanistan. when we, ukrainians, evacuated from that country over more -- more than 1,000 people from -- our own expense. it was a very difficult phase. and ukraine came to their help. we took in people of different nationalities, ethnic groups, different faiths, afghan citizens of european countries, u.s., canada. we did not look who needed help, was it one of our own or somebody else. we helped all of them. we saved everyone. every time there was a need, everyone in the world would be

confident that help would come. the world would be definitely safer. therefore, ukraine has been the moral right to propose a reform of the world security system. we have proven that we help others not only half the time but in dark times, too. and now we need decisions from the security council for peace in ukraine. if you do not know how to make this decision, you can do two things. either remove russia as an aggressor and a source of war so it cannot block decisions about its own aggression, its own war. and then, do everything that we can do to establish peace. or the other option is please show how we can reform or change the -- and work for peace.

or if there is no alternative and no option, then the next option would be dissolve yourself altogether. and i know you can admit if there is nothing you can do besides conversation, we need peace. ukraine needs peace. europe needs peace. and the world needs peace. and finally, i would kindly ask you very much to watch this short video. please, give us one more minute of your time. the video that we want to show, one, one country can violate rights. and that's the result of being unpunished. if possible, please, watch this video because it is impossible to get everyone to come to our country and see it with your own eyes.

therefore, i would ask you to watch this video. thank you very much. >> i'm not sure of the video. is it coming?

>> madam president, uploaded to the technician of the security council. so they have it in their possession. >> i -- we will sort that one out technically. we don't have the video, so i propose that while we sort that out i thank his excellency, mr. zell lens key, for his -- zelenskyy for his powerful remarks. we'll come back to the video when we sort out the technical issues around it. may i say, speaking in my national capacity, may i express appreciation to the president for his leadership in wartime and for the extraordinary fortitude and bravery of the ukrainian people under this unprovoked and illegal invasion. i resume my function as the president of the security council, and while we sort out

the technical video, i propose to give the floor to those councilmembers who wish to make statements. and i now give the floor to the representative of the united states. >> thank you, madam president. let me also start by thanking u.a.e. and the ambassador 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're 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. we have 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 have fled ukraine who stuffed their lives into backpacks and left the only home they have ever known.

these were sobering conversations. one young woman i spoke to came with her 6-year-old brother who had 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 8-year-old from odessa. the father, who they 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 her life. flee for her life. when i asked her where she was from, she started to say, then

she stopped with tears in her eyes and said, i'm sorry. i don't know how to say it. but i live in kyiv or whether i used to live in kyiv. she was realizing in the moment just how dramatically her life changed because of this senseless war. these are three stories of more than 10 million people. six million internally displaced, four million who left ukraine all together. four million people who have relied on the big heartedness of countries like moldova, romania, poland, so slacka -- slovakia, hungary, and other countries around 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 one billion u.s. dollars in new funding toward humanitarian assistance for those affected by russia's war in ukraine. and it's severe impact around the world. and it's 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 heartwrenching as the stories are that i heard in moldova and romania, there are some stories we will never get to hear. those are 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. even before seeing the images from bucha, president zelenskyy along with others in the region were reporting that children were being abducted. we heard him say that today. also abducted are mayors and doctors, religious leaders, journalists, and all who dared 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 i.d.'s. taking away cell phones, 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 u.n. member states will seek russia's suspension from the u.n. 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. 140 u.n. member states voted to condemn russia over its

unprovoked war and humanitarian crisis it has unleashed upon the people of ukraine. here's 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 a security council's charge. it is. and it is also the responsibility of u.n. leaders and leaders around the world, every single member state with a voice in the g.a. 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 a real difference. russia's participation on the human rights council hurts the council's credibility. it undermines the entire u.n. 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. 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. thank you. >> i thank the representative of the united states for her statement and i give the floor to the representative of albania. >> thank you, madam president. i thank the ambassador for having said our word during the month of march and wish the u.k. and you madam president full success in our coming work during this month. albania welcomes president zelenskyy to this meeting. his remarks are painful and an account on what ukraine experience under russian occupation is revolting. we stand by you mr. president. all ukrainians for their heroic resistance, for their resilience that the entire world is admiring. you are not alone.

you have the world on your side because it is the side of the right, of the just, and as we hope, of victory. madam president, let me thank again the very clear and powerful remarks. i also thank them. this is the 14th meeting of the security council on ukraine since the 31st of january while the world of aggression has entered the second month. let's establish a few basic yet meaningful facts. russia has told and it's imperial dreams are nowhere. taking ukraine is impossible. kyiv was too hard to swallow. russian army is in disarray, but it has not stopped shelling and bombardments. but all this is not new and all this is not news. the real news that has horrified

the world is what russia is leaving behind. the unspeakable horrors, the crushing images in areas from which russia is withdrawing. images of civilians executed with a bullet in the neck. sometimes with their hands tied behind their backs or shot dead in their bicycles. images of mass graves overflowing with corpses. images of cornage and devastation, looted homes, and sexual violence. acts usually attributed only to thugs. they spring there the same impulsive as the bombardment of cities, homes, hospitals, schools, and kindergartens by the russian forces. bucha is an open air graveyard. the notorious facelift of the russian aggression. madam president, we have heard time and again it is not russia,

yes, but no. it will be hard, actually impossible, to convince anyone that the destroyed tanks left on the roads, the mines and booby traps left behind amid the wreckage, and bodies of civilians killed by executions and laying in the streets amidst of breeze are propaganda. who would believe that russia sent to protect civilians while ukraine is devastated home movies. you cannot fool satellite images. you cannot blind independent reporters and human rights n.g.o.'s on the ground. waiting for russia to accept and tell the truth is waiting for goala to arrive and he never does. these are facts, hard and sickening proof of the atrocities committed.

such crimes as documented hue buy human rights watch and verified by independent and prore-spebgted professional reporters, those who are bound for the russians call for answers, call for thorough investigation for accountability for justice. the prime minister called these crimes a terrible pain and horrible shame. russia has international obligation to abide by international military law. the laws of war, including the geneva conventions of 49, and protocols. russia has been obligation to abide by the order of i.c.j. to immediately halt this military activity in ukraine. unfortunately russia has made another choice. not to respect any of it. and has counseled itself tpreupbt national law. but the law will pursue it. russian army and commanders

cannot escape accountability. the name of the pwaoufper of mariupol, the criminals that has reduced an entire city to ashes and made its citizens go from three meals a day to barely three meals a week. it is why we will support the callle to suspend russia's participation in the human rights council. it is a resolution that created the council stimulates i quote, members of the council will respect the highest standards in the promotion and protection of human rights. as we see, russia's standards are -- it's presence a farce. a desecration of the place called to be a sanctuary of rights. dear colleagues, russia has announced it will now shift its focus on eastern ukraine. this means that it will concentrate its brutality there in what may end up pwh-bging a war of attrition. russia has blocked the renewal

of the international observer mission in ukraine. this denies the international community the independent eyes it needs there. this anticipates, sadly, more war, further atrocities, other crimes, even more humanitarian disasters this. war continues to particularly affect women and children. millions have been displaced. of them alone in search of safety and security. it is heartbreaking to see mothers write names and addresses in the back of their children so that they are recognized in case they end up being orphans. we welcome the efforts in support of the people in ukraine and millions of refugees in neighboring countries. madam president, end with this note. rarely has the outcome of a war been so disastrously the complete opposite of what it wanted to achieve. russia's army had been defeated

by the outgunned and outnumbered ukrainian resistance. russia is isolated like never in its history t has become the world's lost sanctioned country in history. no country has ever seen itself transformed in matter of only 10 days from a global player into a financial and international pariah. to the point that it is obliged to find support from north korea and syria. dear colleagues, this aggression had once and for all separated the fate of ukrainians and russians because the case of ukraine is also the cause of democracy against autocracy. it is a fight between the will of the people against the vicious will of one whose reckless actions have challenged everything we stand for and who is director responsible for food insecurity which is affecting the entire world.

he may choose to stop. withdraw troops. or continue to desend in the very -- descend in the very abyss he created and face the consequences. i thank you. >> i thank the representative of albania for his statement. i understand that we now have solved the technical problems. i suggest we return to the video. thank you.

>> i would like to thank the delegation of ukraine for sharing that video with us.

the images are harrowing. speaking in my national capacity we are appalled by what we have seen and reiterate our solidarity with ukraine. i resume my function as the council president and i now give the floor to the representative of gabon. [speaking a foreign language] >> to the ambassador of the united arab emirates on her remarkable presidency. i thank the secretary-general, undersecretary-general as well

as mr. martin griffith for their respective briefings. i welcome the participation in this meeting of president zelenskyy. madam president, we continue to witness powerless the war in ukraine, while the grim toll of the dead and displaced counts and fighting continues even as lives and civilian infrastructure are destroyed. day in, day out. one day of war is one -- without a doubt one day too many. as the conflict enters its sixth week, the number of displaced persons is now surpassing the 10 million mark. almost four million of which have sought refuge in neighboring countries. this is a frightening humanitarian catastrophe.

the repercussions of which are sure to worsen as a result of the risk of food insecurity due to the unpredictability of harvest which will, in turn, have transregional effects. i'd like to welcome the secretary-general establishment of a working group task force on food security, energy, and finance to reduce the impact of the war. madam president, allegations concerning violence, especially sexual violence against women are cause for grave, very grave concern. my country is very concerned as well at attacks against infrastructure and humanitarian personnel. humanitarian working in thaoerts of conflict should never be the target of attack.

they are often the link between victims of war and what remains of humanity when the rug has been pulled from under their feet. humanitarian workers should be able to funnel humanitarian assistance to wherever it is needed with without obstacles and conditions of insecurity guaranteed by all parties. it should be possible to form secure evacuation convoys to allow for the smooth evacuation of persons wishing to leave combat zones. this is vital -- a vital form of assistance to the almost 18 million people in need of humanitarian assistance in ukraine. the situation in mare pol -- mariupol is becoming plainly untenable. the exponential deterioration in living conditions, indeed survival conditions in certain places is very concerning. especially when civilian infrastructure and the provision

of essential public services is affected. we are concerned at the risk of disease resulting from water shortages in certain parts of ukraine, but also health risks ensuing from the lack of access to primary or specialized health care. women, children, the elderly, and anyone not taking part should be able to be rescued in every sense of the world without fearing for their lives. madam president, war is a horror, a break with that which binds us together as humans. this is precisely to seek to reduce the effects of this break that international humanitarian law exists. to not give free rein to the expression of might is right, in fact it is an attempt to address through law a break in the human contract. all parties should abide by

international huemantarian law. concerning the persistent reports of massacres, summary executions, atrocities, and other mass crimes against civilians in bucha, there is an urgent need for a u.n.-led free and independent inquiry into -- as soon as possible to shed light on the victims and the circumstances surrounding these atrocities. in the interim it is vital that this council not lose sight of its role which is to work towards restoring peace and security by offering an alternative to war. the return to peace in ukraine will not be achieved through mudslinging. madam president, this war has lasted long enough and its effects are already being felt beyond ukraine's borders. from our perspective, in terms of a decision on establishing a

cease-fire and creating the conditions for safe and unfettered provision of humanitarian assistance needed by populations in distress. i wish to neighboring countries that continue to mobilize to urgently welcome refugees we encourage them to extend the same welcome to all persons distressed without distinction as to origin or race, including african nationals and students. we request them to ensure respect for their dignity and we call for fair treatment of all persons in distress. it is urgent the parties commit resolutely to negotiation to bring an end to the hostilities. we call to a halt to the combat. there is no other way. my country is closely following current negotiations between the parties, nuclear weapons

istanbul, we hope they will soon lead to a cease-fire so as to create a climate of confidence and establish a climate of calm needed for diplomacy to make its voice heard and guns to be silenced. thank you. the speaker pro tempore: i thank the representative of gabon for her statement. i now give the floor to the representative of the russian federation. >> thank you, madam president. i'd like to first of all express our gratitude to the delegation of the united arab emirates for their presidency in the month of march. we are also grateful to the secretary-general, and martin griffith for their briefing. we also listened to the president of ukraine, president zelenskyy. we'd like to thank martin for his sreus to the moscow. during which as far as we can judge, he had some useful

meetings and discussions. better than anyone else he should know the efforts that russia is undertaking every single day to organize hueman corridors. however, the arrangements reached with the help of international mediators is consistently not being implemented by the ukrainian side. i'm not going to overload it with figures. you can such communique are published every day by our ministry of defense. i simply would like to say just out of mariupol to the east without any participation by the ukrainian side we have managed to save 123,500,000 people. now overall since the beginning of the special military operation over 600,000 people have been evacuated to russia. including over 119,000 in children.

and we are not talking about any kind of coercion or abduction as our western partners like to present this. rather the voluntary decision by these people is testified by many videos that are attestable in social media. madam president, another topic of the meeting was declared today which is practically not being discussed today. so i'm going to leave that out. i simply would like to take advantage of the virtual presence here of the president of ukraine and would like to address him directly. now, we place on your conscious -- conscience the ungrounded accusations against russian military which are not confirmed by any eyewitnesses. we spoke about this in detail

yesterday at our press conference. we all remember when in 2019 you were elected as the president of ukraine. there were a lot of hopes tied to your election because you were as a candidate pledged peace and an end to the war in dombas, including the russian speaking population, which you pledged to protect. it seemed that we were on the verge of correcting the historical injustice when as a result of the coup in 2014 ukraine began to be transformed into a hit for anti-russia. that seemed to be on the verge of being turned -- page being turned. however, those hopes failed to be -- to materialize. now you scorn fully call the --

scornfully call the residents of lugansk people as a subspecies. repeating what your predecessor stated who, in fact, threatened that the residence of the donetsk rot in their basements. and you are calling on them to return to leave to russia. now you declared war against your native russian language. by introducing in essence a linguistic inquisition in a country where russian is the native language for a minimum of 40% of the population. today explosions and artillery rounds are exploding over the entire territory of ukraine. not only in the east where they haven't ceased for the past eight years. and they are exploding precisely because there was no other way of bringing peace to the dombas

unfortunately. after you and your subordinates categorically refused to comply with the minsk agreements. at the same time preparing already back in march to stall the problem of the dombas by military means. in the course of our special operations we have found many secret orders testifying to this. we are told that swhr can be -- there can be no nazis in ukraine. however we know very well that not only are they there but unfortunately they are running the show. and how could it be any other way when the national heroes of ukraine are nazi collaborators who are responsible not only for the holocaust but the killing of hundreds of thousands of peaceful poles, russians, ukrainians, and jews. seupl phre refer not to notice ukrainian nazis pretending that they are not there. unfortunately they are there. and they are very -- very many

of them, among them, a lot of young people. how do we know that? well, they are not concealing t they have tattoos made, nazi tattoos. they decorate their clothing with swastikas and other nazi symbols. they -- nazi greetings. they are open about it in the social media. there are particularly many of them in the national battalions. that would be one thing. but they are also acting like nazis and they are killing like them. and they are not just killing russian prisoners, soldiers in which they torture and gloat about it on the social media. they kill their own. your neo-nazis and radicals are unrifled cruelty against the civilians which they use as human shields and position heavy

artillery next to residential buildings and multiple rocket launchers as well. to date we have heard once again the huge amount of lies about russian soldiers and military. we have hundreds if not thousands of video testimonial of people who are ready to provide testimony about the cruelty of ukrainian nationals. i'll just read some of them here. these arele true histories. we need to hear them. natalia says, the mayor of the town was one of the first to run away. afterwards the ukrainian authorities lied that russia was not letting people through humanitarian corridors. the national battalion under threat of death kept women and children in basements and robbed civilians at checkpoints. a grandmother said that the battalion did not allow her to

leave basement. anyone trying to leave was shot. at a checkpoint women and girls were stripped nicked and had their jewelry and money taken away. including -- also said how ukrainian soldiers kicked out women with two children from a private home. then used it to lob mortar rounds. and that women had two children she was -- they were kicked out by soldiers with blue armbands. those are ukrainian insignias. marina testified that she was tortured in a basement by ukrainian security services. they tied me to a sewer pipe when they found out i was russian, they beat me. used electric current. raped me. and threatened to rape my young

daughter. one said we left mariupol on the 25th of march. the ukrainian army would position between residential homes and in the courtyard of a school. these civilians as cover. in the neighborhood around the theater, a tank drove around firing indiscriminately, including targeting residential buildings. the territory of the 69th, 68th, and fifth schools. ta*pblgs were stationed. i saw this with my own eyes. more testimony, school number 15 of mariupol, starting from 25th february the ukrainian armed forces took up positions and left on the seventh march. they directed fire from there. our building was badly damaged from the shelling. on the eighth and 9th of march there was intense shelling. targeting residential homes. ukrainian soldiers were asked why they are doing t they

replied that until they destroy the entire russian spirit in whole, they will remain there. they started looting immediately. they phrupbdered all the shops -- phrupbdered -- plundered all the shops. there are many other heartrending stories. russians and ukrainians tortured to death with swastikas burned into their chests. there are looters and criminals who you distributed weapons. to there are civilians and foreigners who are held hostages. in spite of all factual evidence and common sense, are you lying trao*eug to lay the blame for their death on the russian mill taefrplt this is unacceptable. the fact to even consider that russian military would be capable of this. and now we are seeing blatant criminally staged events with

ukrainian civilians who are killed by their own radicals in the best traditions to accuse the russian army. those killed in the areas from which the russian forces withdrew after encouraging peace negotiations in istanbul. now it turns out we shouldn't have withdrawn. talking about bucha first and foremost. i understand that you were showd testimonials. only saw what they showed you. you couldn't ignore the flagrant inconsistencies in the version of events which are being promoted by ukrainian and western media. the fact that the corpses were not there right after the withdrawal of our russian forces which is confirmed by several videos. and the fact there are recordings where ukrainian radicals urged shooting at those with white armbands. in other words, against civilians. if you saw the video very carefully that was shown today,

you'll see those people who are on the ground have white armbands. they are civilians. and the fact that the corpses on the video no way resemble those that could have been lying on the street for three or four days. based on the cessation and scientifically absurd information of the "new york times" they were there since the 20th of march. the only one who is could call for this fake are dillant are western partners. you don't want to hear anything and been calling black, white, vice versa for a long time now. these countries don't give a hoot about ukraine itself. it's simply a pawn in the geopolitical game against russia which they will sacrifice easily. in the meantime they will prolong conflict by delivering as much weapons as possible. but the most important thing is that how have we sunk to such depths of cruelty that

nationalists are displaying, for example, from the battalion. and you, i am addressing the ukrainian president, in your interview the americans' media you coyly, bashfully state they are what they are. i really hope that you will reflect on this and hope that you will find a solution to the situation because it depends only on you. because we came to you. to ukraine. not to conquer land. we came to bring the long awaited peace to the blood soaked land of dombas. not a truce. but a true lasting peace. for this we need to root out the cruelty which i mentioned. we need to cut out the malignant nazi tumor that is consuming ukraine and would in time begin to consume russia. and we will achieve that goal. i hope sooner rather than later because there is no other outom. we are not shooting -- outcome. we are not shooting against civilian tarring toets save as many civilians as possible.

precisely why we are not advancing as fast as many expected. we are not acting -- acting like americans and their alleys in iraq and syria where raising entire -- razing entire sitties on the ground. they had no pity for them. we felt great pity because these are people close to us. radicals have nothing to lose. they couldn't care less about civilians. they are ready to take to the grave with them the entire population of the ukraine. as was clearly demonstrated by the prove tkpwaeugs in bucha. don't allow the west to achieve its goals. make the right decisions that are needed for your country because the west is ready to fight in the ukraine until the last ukrainian. make that decision now. because the -- know the real situation on the front. later it might be too late. thank you very much for your attention. >> i thank the representative of the russian federation for his statement. and i now give the floor to the representative of ireland.

>> thank you very much, madam president. and i'd also like to thank the secretary-general and our other briefers this morning. i want to express a very warm welcome to president zelenskyy with us this morning. president zelenskyy, your courage, your leadership, and the courage of the ukrainian people are an example to all of us. secretary-general, on the 24th of february as russia launched a large-scale invasion of its neighbor ukraine, you told the world that russia's action was wrong. that it was against the charter. it was unacceptable. we agreed with you. however you also told us that this invasion was reversible. and called on president putin to end this war to save innocent lives. we echoed those calls. sadly, 40 days later our call

has been left unanswered. instead, over the last 40 days we have witnessed unprecedented levels of destruction and human suffering. we are watching cities pandered by russian artillry. we are seeing millions forced to flee their homes. seeking refuge from russian aggression. just minutes ago here in this chamber we have seen the utterly shocking images of civilians lying dead in the streets of bucha and elsewhere in ukraine. some we know are piled into improvised mass graves. simply harrowing. so many innocent lives lost on our watch. as our pleas for peace go unheeded. the attempts here today to deny russian culpability are, frankly, appalling in their cynicism. i see them as an insult to the

memory of those slaughtered civilians. madam president, we condemocratic atrocities reportedly committed by the russian armed forces in a number of occupied ukrainian towns. the images from bucha and other towns in the kyiv region liberated by ukrainian forces are horrifying. we here cannot suspend our humanity, our thoughts first and foremost must be with the families of those killed. their pain at the loss of their loved ones in such an unspeakable manner is almost unimaginable. let's be clear, the russian authorities are responsible for these atrocities committed while they had effective control of the area. the russian authorities are subject to the international law of occupation. there can never be immunity from such crimes. never, ever. not in bucha, not in any other

town or village, ever. where crimes have been committed, they must be fully investigated and evidence preserved so that these crimes can be prosecuted by domestic and international courts, including the international criminal court. ireland will continue to support efforts to ensure robust and independent investigation of all violations of international law. we must have accountability and justice for the victims and for the survivors of this war. we at this table share that responsibility in face of such atrocity. we call on the russian federation to abide by the order of the international court of justice and to immediately cease its military action and withdraw from the entire territory of ukraine. madam president, in the last 40 days we have seen a horrific

humanitarian disaster unfold in ukraine because of the russian federation's unprovoked and unjustifiable further invasion of that country. a country where just weeks ago citizens lived in relative peace and prosperity and one which has been transformed now into one where families lack access to basic necessities, where basements have become bomb shelters, where millions, millions have become i.d.p.'s and refugees. these are the phroebgs hive weapons in populated areas has had a devastating impact on civilians in the midst of active hostilities. once again we call for the parties to the conflict to comply with international humanitarian law, including the obligation to direct attacks only against military objectives. the prohibitions against

indiscriminate and disproportionate attacks, and the obligation to take all feasible precautions and attack. we encourage increasing allegations of sexual violence by russian soldiers. you referred to this this morning, secretary-general. we must stress that conflict related sexual violence can constitute a war crime. the perpetrators of such crimes must be accountable. it must be held accountable, they will be held accountable. sexual violence is another abhorrent crime of this war that cannot go unanswered. we again reiterate the need for full, safe, and unhindered humanitarian access to those in need as called for today by martin griffith. secretary-general regain echo your call for russia to implement an immediate humanitarian cease-fire is the very least the aggressor can do.

it is way past time. as we know, the reverberations of this war are reaching kwrar beyond ukraine. far beyond ukraine. it is unacceptable that russia's war of choice against ukraine is also having an will continue to have significant spillover effects across the globe. deterioration of food security, surging energy prices, increasing poverty. the most vulnerable and impoverished in developing countries will suffer the most. we utterly reject that. madam president, it is our collective responsibility here at this table to maintain international peace and security. nothing less. this is why we call on the russian federation to stop this war. to stop its unlawful attempts to establish occupying authorities. to stop destabilizing the democratic foundations of the

ukrainian state. such steps are yet further reprehensible violations of ukraine kwraes -- aou kwraeupb's independents. it gets harder each time to say this, but it is never too late to do the right thing. and to end this war now. thank you, madam president. >> i thank the representative of ireland for her statement. and i now give the floor to the representative of brazil. >> thank you, madam president. let me start by thanking ambassador along with her team of the u.a.e. mission for competently navigating the work of the security council in march. i welcome his excellency, mr. zelenskyy, president of ukraine, in the council today. i would like to thank the secretary-general and the

secretary-general for political affairs, and undersecretary-general for humanitarian affairs, martin griffith, for their updated presentations about the situation in ukraine. madam president, as we enter into the sixth week of hostilities in the ukrainian territory, we continue to witness appalling images of human suffering. the recent reports of acts of violence against civilians in bucha, kharkiv, donetsk, and other places affected by the conflict are extremely worrying according to the statement by the icoc. we call for a really independent and thorough investigation of all reported violations with the full cooperation of both parties of the conflict without prejudging any conclusions and underscore the need for perpetrators to be held

accountable. the international community is witnessing for too long appalling scenes of destruction of one peaceful cities with shocking images from the conflict and desperation of thousands of civilians trapped in the battlefield. with no food, no water, and no electricity. once again we'll renew our pleas for a broad, effective, and immediate cessation of hostilities in ukraine. only after the silence of the guns and the withdrawal of troops are achieved will it be possible to halt the immense costs of human suffering this conflict has brought. madam president, the general assembly has recently adopted a resolution on humanitarian situation in ukraine. as we said on that occasion, the general assembly could not

become a bystander of the shocking consequences of the conflict. and as we added, last week in this chamber, nor can the security council. as the main u.n. organ with primary responsibility for the international peace and security, the security council has the mandate and the responsibility to address this situation in an effective manner. nevertheless, our assessment is that the security council is failing in its role to help in supporting efforts to foster a constructive dialogue between the parties. with the end of brokering and effective peace settlement to this conflict. we deeply regret that the security council has not been able to speak with one voice throughout the crisis.

promoting compliance with international humanitarian law, protecting civilians, calling for peace, these are objectives that should unite rather than divide us. we should strive to create the conditions for on the one hand invigorating the political negotiations and on the other reaching an understanding on practical measures to minimize human suffering in ukraine. civilians wishing to flee the hostilities must be able to do so in safety. and those who decide to stay cannot become targets of attacks. in the same vain parties must grant safe passage to relief consignments to those in need. once again, brazil reiterates the call for all parties to fully respect and ensure respect for international humanitarian

law. the causes of conflict, whatever they are, do not undermine the obligations of all parties have to guarantee that civilians should be protected, that the wounded receive medical care, that humanitarian assistance reach those in need. and that they be treated humanely in all circumstances. there must be no politicization of humanitarian actions nor selective application of international humanitarian law. also geopolitical objectives must not supersede the endeavor for peace nor prolong the human suffering caused by war. madam president, this conflict and its associated sanctions apart from the enormous human suffering and devastation caused in ukraine, is having spillover effect in the entire world. especially through increased

prices of oil, gas, grains, and fertilizers, among others. food insecurity has become an even greater threat to the world's poorest people. above all in developing countries. the longer this conflict persists, the higher the risk of further instability, hunger, and devastation in ukraine and around the world. it is high time to return to the path of dialogue and diplomacy for peaceful settlement of the conflict. we urgently need the cessation of hostilities. de-escalation of tensions and negotiations are the only way out of this conflict. not only for the countries directly involved, but also for the entire world. i thank you, madam president. >> i thank the representative of brazil for his remarks. and i now give the floor to the

representative of kenya. >> thank you, madam president. i congratulate you on assuming the presidency of the security council for april and assure you of my delegation's full support. i listened closely to the remarks by the secretary-general and his undersecretaries general hoping to hear that our fears that the war in ukraine have entered a new, more dangerous phase were exaggerated. sadly, they offered no such conflict. instead, we are left with the words ofis excellency, sroe local myrrh zelenskyy, the president of ukraine. who has described the horrifying situations in bucha and other towns and neighborhoods in ukraine. his account of the atrocities is in stark contrast to that of our colleague in the security council. their representative of the russian federation. the fact of the truth nbucha is

contested is the surest sign we stand on the precipice of more widespread abuses of human rights. in april, 1994, genocide engulfed rwanda, there were members of the security council contesting the horrifying truth that a million people were being murdered. we should stand warned that the inability of the council to establish the facts and accordingly attribute responsibility may enable the risk of escalation into far worse crimes. beyond the city of bucha, madam president, we are extremely worried about the civil ofcy ofans who are trapped in our besieged cities and villages such as mariupol. our actions today should seek to prevent what we have witnessed happen in bucha take place in

mariupol. while we debate who is responsible for the horrors of bucha, it is uncontestable that what started as a special military operation is now a war. and that war begun with reassurances of limited aims not targeted at civilians, has led to thousands of dead civilians and millions of refugees and internally displaced. no one can doubt that they are flagrant violations of international law, international humanitarian law, and the u.n. charter under way in ukraine. kenya condemns the abuses taken in the past few weeks, and those in the eastern provinces of the country during the years that the conflict has raged. madam president, the war in ukraine is today's most dangerous threat to the maintenance of international peace and security. it is the latest assault by the most powerful state against a

multilateral order. their continued abuse of the charter create a growing crux over the years in the global security ordinary. now the bottom has fallen out. ukraine may now become a model for new generation of disastrous wars on multiple continents. millions of refugees are being created and there will be many more as economic effect of the war produce and intensify conflicts elsewhere. accelerating food and energy prices, plunging millions into worse forms of poverty. the u.n. as a forum for solutions to humanity's most pressing problems is losing prestige and its historical standing. president zelenskyy has left us with identify stkaoes for security council reform that did did with ideas for security council reform we need to consider seriously. things have fallen apart and the

center cannot hold and these assaults on our united nations. we must reform. there are no easy solutions. even negotiation that is not properly structured to protect the people and sovereignty of ukraine could be the prelude to a wider war. for now, we urge the following urgent steps understanding their limits due to the continued inability of the security council to act decisively. we call on impartial and prompt united nations investigation into the atrocities against the civilians in bucha and other towns in ukraine. this calls for an immediate end of all hostilities to guarantee unfettered access by the investigating teams. we urge -- >> you can watch the rest of this on our website. c-span.org or join us on the c-span now app. as part of oor