Mr. President,

Mr. Deputy Secretary of State, welcome to New York. We are pleased to have you with us today for a Security Council meeting on a matter that is close to our hearts.

Thank you, Madam Under-Secretary-General Rosemary DiCarlo, and thank you Mr. Under-Secretary-General Tom Fletcher, for your briefings, that remind us of the gravity of this situation. Your briefings reminded us, if any reminder were needed, that the war in the Middle East constitutes an addition to the war in Europe, but does not overshadow it.

The two conflicts have something in common: the Shahed drones transferred by Iran to Russia struck major Ukrainian cities long before Iran used them against cities in the Gulf. And what should we think about Russia’s proposals for mediation in the Middle East, just as Moscow refuses to halt hostilities in Europe? These hostilities are of Russia’s own making.

The war waged by Russia has already entered its fifth year, with the intolerable consequences that have been described to us, consequences to which we refuse to grow accustomed.

Consequences in Ukraine, with ongoing massive strikes on civilian populations and infrastructure, and the situation of Ukrainian children deported and transferred to Russia, a situation that the Independent Commission of Inquiry on Ukraine has thoroughly documented and, for the first time, characterized as war crimes and crimes against humanity.

Need we remind you, this war involves an aggressor and an aggressed State. It is a war on Ukrainian territory, in which Ukraine is resisting to defend its independence and its sovereignty.

Consequences all over the world, as Moscow has recruited men from 17 countries in Africa, Asia, Latin America, and the Middle East to join its Russian armed forces and fight on the Ukrainian front—all of this is also well documented by the Independent Commission of Inquiry, which states, and I quote, that many of them “were lured and tricked by offers of civilian jobs”.

Russia continues to gamble on the tragic prospect of an endless war in Ukraine. It refuses to engage in good-faith in negotiations and is pursuing the same maximalist objectives as at the start of the conflict, despite months of discussions, in particular with the United States. Russia is betting on the exhaustion of Ukraine and its partners, but it is mistaken. On the front lines, Russian forces are going nowhere, or even retreating, in the face of the Ukrainian armed forces. Our support for Ukraine will not waver either, because what is at stake is the defense of international law, the principles of the United Nations Charter, and the security of Europe as a whole.

Mr. President,

Our course of action is clear: to continue providing legitimate support to Ukraine, which is courageously defending itself, and to maintain necessary pressure, particularly economic pressure, on Russia.

Our determination remains intact, as demonstrated by the interception on Friday in the Mediterranean by the French Navy of another vessel belonging to Russia’s “shadow fleet,” involved in financing Moscow’s war effort and posing security and environmental risks to coastal States.

Almost one year to the day after Ukraine accepted in Jeddah, on the request of the United States, an immediate and unconditional ceasefire, we call on Russia to finally accept for itself the same ceasefire it proposed for the Middle East.

The Secretary-General of the United Nations, the vast majority of Member States from all continents, and the resolution adopted by the General Assembly on February 24 this year have all unambiguously call for this.

Mr. President,

France supports negotiations and invites Russia to take up this US-supported offer in good faith, in order to stop the fighting rather than trying to prolong it through stalling tactics that have gone on for too long. We support these peace efforts. We stand ready for a dialogue in good faith, just as we stand ready to guarantee Ukraine’s long-term security, alongside the Coalition of the Willing. We will continue to work with our partners to reach a just and lasting settlement to this conflict, that is a settlement that respects Ukraine’s independence and sovereignty.

Thank you.