‘We Cannot Afford to Lose Current, Fragile Diplomatic Momentum’ amid Moscow’s Intensifying War on Ukraine, Secretary-General Tells Security Council
Amid an intensification of the war in Ukraine, "we cannot afford to lose the current, fragile diplomatic momentum", the head of the United Nations told the Security Council today, as world leaders urged Moscow and Kyiv to pursue a diplomatic solution and reach a ceasefire.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres warned about an intensification of the fighting across Ukraine, and at times, into the Russian Federation. Ukrainian civilians continue to endure relentless bombardment — in their homes, schools, hospitals and shelters, he said, adding that critical civilian infrastructure is being destroyed with alarming regularity. The number of Russian Federation missiles and drones striking Ukrainian cities and towns has reached record levels.
Overall, over 14,000 civilians — including hundreds of children — have been killed in Ukraine and over 36,000 civilians have been injured, he continued. Civilians inside the Russian Federation are also increasingly affected. In Ukraine, massive strikes on energy infrastructure threaten to plunge millions into darkness and cold as they face a fourth winter at war. The threat to nuclear sites remains deeply concerning — particularly at the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant.
On recent high-level diplomatic efforts, he commended the dedication and political will demonstrated by the United States and others seeking to enable diplomatic solutions. He also welcomed the direct talks between Ukrainian and Russian delegations in Istanbul — which have led to the return of hundreds of prisoners of war. However, he stressed that "progress on a much-needed ceasefire and a lasting peaceful settlement remains painfully slow".
Without China, Russian Federation Is Nothing, Says Ukraine
Volodymyr Zelenskyy, President of Ukraine, stated: "Each day, Russia kills our people, destroys our cities and leaves no sign it will ever return to the principles of the UN Charter." He underscored that China could compel Moscow to end the invasion, as "without China, [President Vladimir V.] Putin’s Russia is nothing". However, China often "stays silent and distant instead of active", he said.
Citing the United States as a "strong nation that supports our defence", he affirmed that Ukraine has "said yes to every proposal" from President Donald J. Trump for a ceasefire and talks, but Moscow "always says no". Noting he had just met with President Trump and "discussed a few good ideas" for peace, he expressed gratitude and voiced hope for action to push the Russian Federation towards peace, as "Moscow fears America and always pays attention to it". He emphasized that the Budapest Memorandum was intended to be a positive milestone, but instead "became a warning to the world" — and that Ukraine, with a 40-nation coalition, is building a new security architecture, counting on Washington, D.C., to backstop real security guarantees. Calling for a joint system to force the Russian Federation to stop its attack from the sky, he said that "Putin would be forced to sit here or in another respectable venue and look for a truce on the ground".
Concerns over Expansion of NATO
The representative of the Russian Federation countered that European sponsors of the Zelenskyy regime want the Council "to live as they do in some kind of a parallel reality where Ukraine is not losing on the battlefield", while Ukrainian citizens are queuing "to die in the pointless slaughter for the advancement of western geopolitical interests".
Condemning the "neo-Nazi regime in Kyiv and its misanthropic ideology", he noted that others do not recall the pledge not to expand the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) eastwards, supplanting international law with a "so-called rules-based order". The Kyiv "regime" is using human shields and air defence systems in direct proximity to residential areas, resulting in tragedies linked to wreckage falling on homes from errant air-defence missiles. Meanwhile, Washington, D.C., is fanning the flames of war, mendaciously portraying the Russian Federation as an enemy that will attack others "as soon as it finishes off Ukraine". He rejected unsubstantiated allegations about the incursion into Poland of alleged Russian Federation drones and alleged overflight in Estonia — calling for genuine efforts to probe the contours of a realistic long-term lasting peace to end this war, which the "criminal clique" began in 2014. Moscow is advocating for purely serious substantive negotiations, not rejecting negotiations with Ukraine, he asserted.
We Will Target Your Ailing Economy — Your Revenues Paying for This War
"We have entered an era of what appears to be potential escalation, with historically some of the highest numbers of strikes we have seen over the last few nights," said Marco A. Rubio, Secretary of State of the United States, noting that "now we are watching incursions into neighbouring airspace with drones and airplanes". And although United States President Donald J. Trump is a very patient man, "his patience is not infinite", he asserted, noting that he has before him the options of imposing additional economic costs on the Russian Federation or to sell defensive — and potentially offensive — weaponry so Ukraine can defend itself. "This war must end, but if it does not, the President will take the steps necessary to impose costs for continued aggression," he concluded.
Yvette Cooper, Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs for the United Kingdom, highlighted her recent visit to Kyiv, describing "first hand the toll of Russia’s brutal war". "I met families whose lives had been uprooted; their cities occupied; their homes destroyed," she said, adding: "But, as Putin cynically stalls on peace, I also saw a people unbowed; a nation resolute in its fight." Drawing attention to the forced deportation of children and intensified strikes on Ukrainian cities, she warned Moscow that, due to such actions, "we will target your ailing economy — your oil and gas revenues that are paying for this war, the defence industries making your munitions and weapons". Highlighting the consequences, including a squeezed State budget, she stressed: "Our pressure will endure until Russia comes to the negotiating table and agrees a just and lasting peace."
"Thousands of Russian and Ukrainian lives have been sacrificed — to what end? To realize an imperialist fantasy, to quench imperial first," said Jean-Noël Barrot, Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs of France. Citing President Trump, he said: "It is a paper tiger," with less than 1 per cent of Ukrainian territory having been conquered over the past 1,000 days of war. Denouncing Russian Federation hybrid tactics, he cautioned Moscow against "making a very significant error if it continues to doubt the unity and the resolution of NATO allies". "Russia is lawless. Russia is failing. Ukraine wants peace. Ukraine wants freedom. At this table, then, it should have full support," he concluded.
Calling for de-escalation, China’s delegate called on the parties to the conflict to intensify their efforts to demonstrate political reality and "address properly each other’s legitimate security concerns to reach a comprehensive, lasting and binding peace agreement". He also stressed that abusing unilateral sanctions and long-arm jurisdiction under the pretext of the crisis does not contribute to a political settlement — rather, it creates new problems.
Numerous speakers highlighted the serious implications of the war for European security, with Peter Pellegrini, President of Slovakia, underscoring that, despite direct talks between President Putin and President Trump in Alaska, there has been no ceasefire or peace agreement.
Alexander Stubb, President of Finland, noting that Ukraine has accepted a ceasefire proposed by the United States and supported by Europe, stated: "There’s only one country that doesn’t want a ceasefire and that is Russia." However, "today could be a game changer", he emphasized — citing President Trump’s post on Truth Social, "which I didn’t think left any space for interpretation — it was a clear message that it’s time to end this war".
Alar Karis, President of Estonia, speaking also for Latvia and Lithuania, cited the recent violations of Estonian, Polish and Romanian airspace as "yet another escalation" and "a stark reminder that Russia’s aggression threatens not only Ukraine, but the security of the entire region". Noting that its objectives remain unchanged — the subjugation of all of Ukraine and the reshaping of Europe’s security — he underlined the need to collectively increase international pressure on Moscow.
Russian Federation Does Not Seek Peace — It Seeks to Terrorize Ukraine into Submission
"Russia, for everyone to see, does not seek peace," declared Petr Pavel, President of the Czech Republic, adding that Moscow’s recent "land swap" proposals and continued military escalation highlight its disregard for peace and international law. Underscoring that Ukraine must be a key actor in peace talks, he asserted: "The aggressor cannot be rewarded for unlawful use of force."
Lars Løkke Rasmussen, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Denmark, condemned the Russian Federation’s change in tactics to "terrorize Ukraine into submission". "For peace to have any chance in Ukraine, the first step must clearly be for the weapons to fall silent," he stressed, recalling that Ukraine had offered an unconditional ceasefire months ago, but "Russia’s response: escalation". Accordingly, he urged the international community to increase pressure on Moscow through additional sanctions.
While the rationale behind the war keeps shifting, Tanja Fajon, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs for Slovenia, said: "Under the UN Charter, none of these reasons provide grounds for war, none of them can justify aggression."
Alexandra Papadopoulou, Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs of Greece, welcomed the United States-led initiatives aimed at halting the bloodshed in Ukraine. Expressing regret that Moscow has not yet agreed to a leaders’ meeting and shifted away from the path to peace, proceeding to reckless acts that affect European Union and NATO borders, she unequivocally condemned any violation of internationally recognized territory, by land, air or sea.
Luc Frieden, Prime Minister of Luxembourg, also speaking for Belgium and the Netherlands, underscored that thousands of Ukrainian children who have been abducted must be brought back immediately. Affirming that any peace must be just — not imposed, not partial and not forgetting the victims and the suffering endured — he welcomed peace efforts led by President Trump. "It’s time to stop this war — for peace, for your children and ours," he said.
"Peace in Ukraine is not just in Ukraine’s interest, it is not just Europe’s interest, it is the interest of the global community," said António Costa, President of the European Council, warning that, if Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine is accepted, "no country will ever be safe". As Ukraine has agreed to a ceasefire, he called on the Russian Federation "to agree to come to the negotiation table". The European Union, he said, will continue to apply pressure on Moscow through sanctions and support Ukraine on its path to full membership in the European family.
No Decision Pertaining to Ukraine Can Be Taken without Ukraine
Antonio Tajani, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs of Italy, stressed: "We are not at war with Russia. Our goal is to bring Russia to the negotiation table for a just peace." Any solution, he said, must provide "robust security guarantees for Ukraine", adding that "no decision pertaining to Ukraine [should] be taken without Ukraine".
For his part, the representative of the Republic of Korea, Council President for September, spoke in his national capacity to voice grave concern over the military cooperation between Moscow and Pyongyang: "Such cooperation undermines the global non-proliferation regime, prolongs the conflict and raises security concerns on the Korean Peninsula."
Algeria’s Minister for Foreign Affairs, Ahmed Attaf, highlighted his President’s efforts to deploy his good offices to put an end to the war and find a lasting solution for sustainable peace.
Javier Martínez Acha Vásquez, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Panama, said that the recent violations of the airspace of Poland and Romania, along with the meeting convened on 22 September in response to the incursion of Russian Federation combat aircraft into Estonian airspace, are worrying signs of an escalation of the conflict. He stressed that such actions undermine the recent diplomatic efforts promoted by the United States, with the support of European countries, to bring this war to an end.
After three and a half years of war, the international community remains "stuck at the same crossroads without significant progress towards a lasting solution", observed Pedro Sánchez Pérez-Castejón, Prime Minister of Spain. The representatives of Somalia and Pakistan reiterated that "there is no military solution", with the latter stating: "The path of peace is the only responsible choice." To that end, said the speaker for Sierra Leone, the Council must support dialogue to prevent a regional conflagration. However, Hugh Hilton Todd, Minister for Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of Guyana, stated: "Peace can never be achieved through force nor by one side imposing its will upon the other."
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