Mr. President,
First of all, I would like to thank Ms. Rosemary DiCarlo, Under-Assistant Secretary-General for Political Affairs, for her briefing, and I welcome the presence of His Excellency Mr. Marcin Bosacki, Secretary of State of the Polish Government.
Ms. DiCarlo’s remarks confirm the seriousness of the facts: while Russia carried out a new massive air attack against Ukraine on the night of September 9 to 10, some 20 of its drones entered Poland, destroying at least one home, leading to the closure of four airports, and reaching as far as the Gdansk region, more than 700 km from the Ukrainian border: these are the facts.
This is an irresponsible action and yet another escalation by Russia in the context of its war of aggression against Ukraine.
Mr. President,
Poland’s request to hold this emergency Council meeting following this intolerable violation of its territorial integrity is fully legitimate, and it was Council’s responsibility to respond.
France condemns the unacceptable incursion of Russian drones into Poland’s territory and it expresses its full solidarity with Poland, in line with our unwavering commitment to stand alongside our allies in the European Union and NATO. As announced yesterday by the President of the Republic, France is stepping up as we speak its support to Poland’s air defense and the eastern flank of Europe. We will not weaver in the face of Russia’s intimidation.
Mr. President,
This incursion comes as Russia intensifies its operations against Ukraine. On September 9, Russian strikes killed at least 25 civilians in the Ukrainian village of Yarova, and two days earlier, Russia struck the Ukrainian government headquarters in Kyiv for the first time since 2022.
France condemns Russia’s continued widespread bombing of Ukrainian cities, institutions, infrastructure, and populations. It salutes Ukraine’s resistance and will continue to support it with determination in defending its sovereignty and territorial integrity.
Together with the United States, European countries, and other partners, we have drafted a package of robust security guarantees for Ukraine that will allow for lasting peace once a ceasefire has been agreed. That was the purpose of the meeting held in Paris on September 4 with the President of the Republic.
Mr. President,
Rather than choosing de-escalation in the full-scale war it decided to launch in 2022, Russia has chosen to further increase the threat it poses to the security of all of Europe and to global stability. It is deliberately ignoring the resolutions of the United Nations General Assembly, which has repeatedly called on it to end hostilities.
With this dangerous escalation, Russia is disregarding the diplomatic efforts made by the President of the United States to achieve a ceasefire, efforts that we support in order to bring about a just and lasting peace. It should be recalled that Ukraine agreed six months ago on the principle of an immediate and unconditional ceasefire and that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has expressed his willingness to engage in direct negotiations with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Mr. President,
For France, this meeting of the Security Council, the United Nations body responsible for upholding international peace and security, is an opportunity to reiterate to Russia, a permanent member of this Council, that it is time to stop claiming to want peace when in fact it refuses to cease hostilities.
As it expands the scope of its violent and destabilizing actions every day, it is up to Russia to put an end to its escalation and to negotiate seriously, as called for by the entire international community. The security of all of us is at stake.
Thank you.