On September 26, President Petro Poroshenko of Ukraine addressed the United Nations General Assembly. The occasion was the annual General Debate, when world leaders gather to discuss global issues. Mr. Poroshenko strongly made the case for his country, which has faced unrelenting Russian aggression since 2014, and called on the United Nations to stop that aggression. The president also presented Ukraine’s position during the high-level Action for Peacekeeping meeting, where he repeated his position that the U.N. should send an international peacekeeping mission to Ukraine, as well as in his meetings with many world leaders who also were in town for the opening of the General Assembly’s 73rd session.
Mr. Poroshenko began his speech to the General Assembly by stating, “We shall never forget that the raison d’être of this organization is to ‘save succeeding generations from the scourge of war,’ ” and noting, “Unfortunately, my fellow citizens have become a part of that one-fifth of the world population who is experiencing the horrors of war.”
He then proceeded to eloquently tell his listeners how the people of Ukraine are suffering because of Russia’s hostility: “Moscow turns Ukrainians to orphans. It tortures our patriots in its prisons. Over 1.5 million people became internally displaced persons. …Russia constantly multiplies the human tragedy, which lately received a new dimension: ecological. It poisons the Ukrainian soil and causes an environmental disaster not only in the occupied Crimea, but in Donbas as well. This has been a daily reality for Ukrainians for four years now. Thousands of deaths, destruction, displacement and human suffering.”
The news media reported that Russian diplomats sat expressionless as the Ukrainian president detailed their country’s violations of the U.N. Charter and international law.
Mr. Poroshenko made it crystal clear why Russia has invaded and occupied Ukraine: “Let us not forget what this war is about. Ukraine made a sovereign decision to live its way and promote the Free World based on democratic values and rules. Russia punishes Ukraine for this decision. It kills. It ruins homes. It lies on industrial scale. It pretends that Ukraine, as well as Georgia ‘attacked themselves.’ ” He then asked: “Do we know which neighbor of Russia will ‘attack itself’ next? Or will the world be ‘comfortably numb’ in a hope that ‘the next one won’t be me’?”
“Too often lofty rhetoric on peace, respect for international law and commitment to human rights remains just that – rhetoric, nice-sounding words, politically correct messages, which, however, are not backed by concrete actions,” Mr. Poroshenko observed. Then, most appropriately for a General Debate whose theme is “Making the United Nations Relevant to All People: Global Leadership and Shared Responsibilities for Peaceful, Equitable and Sustainable Societies,” the Ukrainian president challenged U.N. members to take action: “Your silence is exactly what the Kremlin weaponizes against Ukraine – and, ultimately, against all of us. … the beautiful language of the [U.N.] Charter is worth nothing if it is not enforced. No more words, time for deeds!”
Thank you, President Poroshenko, for your powerful message to the world.