One year on, it is just as clear as it was in the harrowing early hours of 24 February 2022: an utterly blameless Ukraine is being subjected to a war of aggression at the hands of Russia. No-one except Russia wants this war. We want peace; Ukraine and the world need peace. That is what the UN General Assembly will advocate when it convenes today in New York. We are channelling all our diplomatic efforts to ensure the world speaks in a loud and clear voice today so that it will finally also be heard in Moscow.

The peace plan is on the table in New York, it is the Charter of the United Nations. The General Assembly Resolution, which we are co-sponsoring with more than 50 states and which we will vote on today, will contain the necessary, concrete steps towards peace in Ukraine.

What the international community is demanding could not be more simple: stop the Russian attacks, protect the civil population, respect Ukraine’s territorial integrity by withdrawing Russian troops, ensure accountability for crimes committed. That is the road to peace which I will reiterate once more in New York. This is what the international community will adopt today and that is what the world has been expecting from Russia for a year.