Defending Military Aid to Ukraine, Western Countries in Security Council Reject Russian Federation’s Claim Such Support Is Turning Kyiv into Terrorist State
Western countries’ provision of military assistance to Ukraine is intended to support that country’s self-defence against the Russian Federation’s aggression, their representatives told the Security Council, refuting Moscow’s argument that such aid is turning Kyiv into a terrorist State.
Today’s meeting was requested by the Russian Federation to discuss the issue of Western arms aid to Ukraine; it featured a senior United Nations disarmament official and a retired United States Air Force lieutenant colonel.
“Any transfer of weapons and ammunition must take place within the applicable international legal framework, including of course, relevant Security Council resolutions,” said Ivor Fung, Chief of the Conventional Arms Branch at the United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs, noting that weapons are reportedly flowing to both sides of the conflict.
Pointing to international arms control instruments such as the Arms Trade Treaty; the Programme of Action on Small Arms and Light Weapons and its International Tracing Instrument; and the Global Framework for Through-life Conventional Ammunition Management, he stressed: “Their universalization, as well as full and effective implementation, must remain a priority.”
Karen Kwiatkowski, the retired United States Air Force official and now a political commentator, said that she began to question the United States Government in 2002 when she witnessed her organization within the Pentagon manipulate information to sell the unjustified war in Iraq. Western assistance in weapons, surveillance, and intelligence enabled eight years of Kyiv’s assault on Donbas, she asserted, recalling: “The Russian military response — no doubt violent, deadly, and in violation of international law — reminds me of several US military operations I supported when in uniform.”
Western arms shipments have turned the Ukrainian military into a massive “Rube Goldberg machine”, she observed, also arguing that Western war aid has ended Ukrainian democracy, divided the Ukrainian people physically and spiritually, impoverished them, and warped their economy.
In the ensuing discussion, speakers reiterated that the Russian Federation bears full responsibility for resolving the conflict, urging it to withdraw its troops from Ukraine’s internationally recognized borders and that the provision of military assistance to Kyiv is in line with Article 51 of the UN Charter, which stipulates the right of self-defence.
The Russian Federation’s representative said that colonizers, for decades, pitted neighbours against each other in Africa, Asia and Latin America and profited off the wars by arming a State and encouraging an openly hostile policy against its neighbour. Addressing the collective West, he said that by allowing the Kyiv regime to do anything it wishes, “you have given rise to a monster” whose “terrorist tentacles” are now visible, warning: “Your Frankenstein may turn on you.”
“Let us be clear […] about who is breaking international law,” said the representative of the United Kingdom, noting that the Russian Federation has used Kinzhal hypersonic cruise missiles, dual-capable ballistic missiles, cluster munitions and landmines against its neighbour. Moscow called this meeting to discuss the issue of Western weapons supplies “for the fourteenth time”, said France’s delegate, underlining the need to recall the facts: The Russian Federation chose to start this war.
In that vein, the speaker for the Republic of Korea said that military cooperation between the Russian Federation and the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea would be a more relevant topic for today’s meeting than the issue of weapon transfers to Ukraine raised by Moscow. Adding to that, his counterpart from the United States said that since December 2023, Russian Federation forces have used Pyongyang-supplied ballistic missiles to strike Ukraine nearly a dozen times, firing upwards of 40 such arms. “Russia can end this war today,” he urged.
Sierra Leone’s representative, noting the differing perspectives presented on the supply of arms, stressed that any transfer of weapons must occur within the applicable international legal framework, including relevant Council resolutions and through the conduct of pre-transfer risk assessments and end-user verification to prevent the diversion of arms and ammunition.
Ukraine needs air-defence systems and fighter aircraft to protect its civilians from the Russian Federation’s terror, its representative appealed, adding that artillery is also needed to move the front lines and restore normal life in the aggressor-occupied territories. “If solidarity with Ukraine is upheld and strengthened, it will only sober the aggressor; if it is undermined, the aggressor’s appetites will only grow,” he underscored, adding: “So make the right choice.”
THREATS TO INTERNATIONAL PEACE AND SECURITY
Briefings
IVOR FUNG, Chief of the Conventional Arms Branch at the United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs, said that the provision of military assistance and transfers of arms and ammunition to the Ukrainian armed forces have continued in the context of the Russian Federation’s full-scale invasion of its neighbouring State in violation of the Charter of the United Nations and international law. These transfers have reportedly included heavy conventional weapons, such as battle tanks, armoured combat vehicles, combat aircraft, helicopters, large-calibre artillery systems, missile systems and uncrewed combat aerial vehicles, as well as remotely operated munitions, small arms and light weapons and their ammunition. There have also been reports of States transferring, or planning to transfer, weapons such as uncrewed aerial vehicles, ballistic missiles and ammunition to the Russian armed forces and that these weapons have been used in Ukraine. “Any transfer of weapons and ammunition must take place within the applicable international legal framework, including of course, relevant Security Council resolutions,” he emphasized.
Expressing concern about the reports on the use of anti-personnel landmines and the transfer and use of cluster munitions in Ukraine, he called on Member States to sign, ratify and fully implement the Convention on the Prohibition of the Use, Stockpiling, Production and Transfer of Anti-Personnel Mines and on their Destruction, and the Convention on Cluster Munitions. He also called on all relevant parties to abide by their obligations under the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons, and not to transfer or use any mines prohibited by its amended Protocol II. “The influx of weapons and ammunition into any armed conflict can contribute to escalation and presents significant risks of diversion and proliferation even after the conflict has ended,” he said, underscoring the need for measures to address the risk of diversion to unauthorized end-users.
Pointing to international arms control instruments such as the Arms Trade Treaty; the Protocol against the Illicit Manufacturing of and Trafficking in Firearms, their Parts and Components and Ammunition; the Programme of Action on Small Arms and Light Weapons and its International Tracing Instrument; and the Global Framework for Through-life Conventional Ammunition Management, he stressed: “Their universalization, as well as full and effective implementation, must remain a priority.” Beyond addressing arms transfers, all parties to any armed conflict must protect civilians and refrain from attacks against critical civilian infrastructure, including energy infrastructure.
Since 24 February 2022, the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) has verified 31,366 civilian casualties, including 10,810 killed and 20,556 injured in Ukraine, he noted. However, the actual figures are likely much higher. Most civilian casualties result from the use of explosive weapons with wide area effects in populated areas, he said, urging States, if they have not done so, to endorse, at the upcoming first follow-up conference in Oslo, the Political Declaration on Strengthening the Protection of Civilians from the Humanitarian Consequences Arising from the Use of Explosive Weapons in Populated Areas adopted in November 2022. Regrettably, the use of armed uncrewed aerial vehicles and missiles has not ceased to cause civilian casualties and damage to civilian infrastructure. “Deliberate, direct, as well as indiscriminate and disproportionate attacks against civilians and civilian infrastructure violate international humanitarian law,” he said, declaring: “They are unacceptable and must end immediately.”
KAREN KWIATKOWSKI, political commentator, said that — as a retired United States Air Force lieutenant colonel — she began to question her Government in 2002 when she witnessed her organization within the Pentagon manipulate information to sell the unjustified war in Iraq. Focusing her briefing on Western aid to Ukraine, she said it has enabled war and opposed peace. “It is not sent there for Ukrainians, but for a Government in Kyiv initially chosen via a […] CIA-influenced coup in 2014,” she said, adding that Western assistance in weapons, surveillance, and intelligence enabled eight years of Kyiv’s assault on Donbas. “The Russian military response — no doubt violent, deadly, and in violation of international law — reminds me of several US military operations I supported when in uniform,” she recalled.
Western arms shipments have turned the Ukrainian military into a massive “Rube Goldberg machine”, she observed, pointing to reactive and chaotic defence operations, with major weapons systems lost due to improper deployment. “The aid-dependent and logistically impaired Ukrainian Army has become a slaughterhouse for Ukrainian men,” she stressed, citing Kyiv’s frantic demand for more troops to throw at the front as “a direct result of Western military assistance”. The Western “investment” has reduced Washington, D.C.’s and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)’s stockpiles and Kyiv’s ability to negotiate directly with Moscow. In this sense, Western leaders “do not wish to lose their deposit”, she pointed out. As billions of dollars of weapons, munitions, supplies and money entered Ukraine, another “Rube Goldberg” problem arose — this time, with Government accountability. “Where does this equipment go, and which bank accounts are fattened?” she asked.
She further underscored that Western aid to Ukraine has accelerated poverty and devastation and widened the gap between rich and poor throughout the country. Massive new United States military bases built in Romania and Poland echo the base-building spree Washington, D.C., embarked upon in the Balkans in the late 1990s and later in the Middle East. “Does the US cash flow to Ukraine truly make sense to Poland, Romania and other NATO members?” she inquired, stressing that Western aid has caused NATO division, which has increased the risk of escalation and silenced peaceful voices. “Instead of what most Ukrainians want, they are getting more weapons,” she stated, pointing to thousands of US-confiscated Iranian machine guns, sniper rifles, rocket launchers, and hundreds of thousands of rounds of ammunition that were sent to Ukraine last week. “Western war aid has ended Ukrainian democracy, divided the Ukrainian people physically and spiritually, impoverished them and warped their economy,” she concluded.
Statements
The representative of the Russian Federation recalled that arming a State and encouraging an openly hostile policy against its neighbour was the customary practice of colonizers who, for decades, pitted neighbours against each other in Africa, Asia and Latin America and profited off the wars. “They did not invent anything new for the twenty-first century — today, the victim is Ukraine and the object is Russia, and therein lies the real subtext of the Ukrainian crisis which reached the ‘hot phase’ in February 2022,” he said. Today, however, the West has other concerns, he emphasized — namely, to keep afloat the “Zelenskyy posse”. Western sponsors of the Kyiv regime assured the Ukrainian President that, with their assistance, Ukraine would be able to vanquish the Russian Federation. Stating that this was “an illusion that the Kyiv leader clung to for a long time”, he underscored: “If Ukraine had wanted peace, they would have long achieved peace there.”
“Our justified and well-grounded demands to our neighbour are well-known,” he emphasized, recalling that Germany was able to end Nazism and that Japan was able to end militarism without the disappearance of these States. Asking why Ukraine cannot do the same, he answered: “Because the Ukraine that would be friendly with Russia is not needed by Washington, London and Brussels.” He went on to say that Ukraine, losing on the battlefield, is transforming into “an openly terrorist State”, detailing the preliminary results of his Government’s investigation into the 22 March attack at Crocus City Hall in Krasnogorsk. “At this juncture, there is no doubt whatsoever about the direct involvement of Ukraine in this vile, inhumane crime,” he stressed. Addressing the collective West, he said that, by “allowing your child — the Kyiv regime — to do anything it wishes, you have given rise to a monster” whose “terrorist tentacles” are now visible. “Your Frankenstein may turn on you,” he warned.
The representative of the Republic of Korea said that military cooperation between the Russian Federation and the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea would be a more relevant topic for today’s meeting than the issue of weapon transfers to Ukraine raised by Moscow, which began its brutal war against its neighbor. The Russian Federation cast a veto the Security Council’s Panel of Experts which provided scrutiny of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea’s attempts to evade sanctions and advance its weapons programme because the Kremlin didn’t want the body to shed light on its dark spot — the illegal supply of ammunition and ballistic missiles to Moscow from Pyongyang. The recent report by the Panel stated that it was investigating reports on the arms dealings between the two. Tolerating the erosion of international law and the UN Charter sets a dangerous precedent, promoting the rule of power over the rule of law. “These repercussions are compounded by the fact that it is a permanent member of the Security Council who violated the golden rules governing international relations for decades,” he stated.
The representative of the United Kingdom said: “Let us be clear […] about who is breaking international law.” The Russian Federation has repeatedly violated Council resolutions by procuring weapons from Pyongyang and Tehran to use in Ukraine, trying to hide its behaviour by vetoing the extension of the mandate of the UN Panel of Experts monitoring the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea’s violations. Moscow does not care about arms control, he observed, noting that the country has used Kinzhal hypersonic cruise missiles, dual-capable ballistic missiles, cluster munitions and landmines. “What Russia wants is complete freedom to intimidate, coerce and kill the people of Ukraine; we are talking about unchecked aggression,” he asserted. Against this backdrop, global support is helping Ukraine defend itself by providing air defences to protect its cities and people and weapons to fight back against the Russian Federation’s army. London has given around $15 billion to date and will remain by Ukraine’s side as it fights Moscow’s aggression, he pledged, stating: “We will do whatever it takes, for as long as it takes, to ensure Ukraine wins.”
The representative of Guyana recalled the Council meeting on 11 April, during which members heard that the war has claimed the lives of more than 10,000 civilians. Underscoring that it is “equally alarming” that civilian infrastructure continues to be targeted in a manner that disregards the principles of distinction, proportionality and precaution, she observed that, as a result, about 40 per cent of Ukraine’s population requires multisectoral humanitarian assistance. Against this backdrop, she observed that any supply of weapons and ammunition into any armed conflict can further escalate or prolong the violence and risks diversion. She therefore called on all parties involved to ensure that such transfers are made in compliance with relevant disarmament instruments and Council resolutions. She also urged controls to prevent irregular transfer, adding that mines and explosive ordnance prevent civilians from accessing critical infrastructure and contribute to food insecurity by contaminating agricultural lands.
The representative of Switzerland said that the Russian Federation’s military aggression against its neighbour violates fundamental principles of international law, rejecting any attempt to justify this act. Ukraine has the right to ensure its security and defend its territorial integrity and sovereignty. Respect for multilateral conventions and instruments for arms transfer control, including Council resolutions, is essential. Her delegation was dismayed by the apparent non-respect of applicable resolutions through past and current illegal arms transfers from Iran and the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea to the Russian Federation, she said, also expressing regret over Moscow’s use of a veto two weeks ago to end the mandate of the Panel of Experts.
The representative of Japan condemned Moscow’s repeated nuclear rhetoric, noting that — having suffered atomic bombings during the war — her country will never accept nuclear threats, let alone any use of nuclear weapons. “The catastrophes of Hiroshima and Nagasaki must never be repeated,” she stated. Additionally, she condemned the transfer of weapons from the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea to the Russian Federation, in violation of Council resolutions. She also drew attention to another clear violation of Council resolutions publicly announced by both sides: a transfer of the Russian-made automobile from the Russian Federation to the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea. She underscored that peace in Ukraine must be based on the UN Charter. “To allow Russia to remain in Ukraine’s territories it temporarily occupies would be to allow the status quo to be changed by force,” she cautioned, citing it as “an outright challenge to the international order based on the rule of law”.
The representative of France recalled the Council’s 11 April meeting, during which the organ heard about the overwhelming toll of Russian Federation strikes against civilians, residential neighbourhoods and energy infrastructure. “No one will be fooled, therefore, by this new attempt on the part of Russia to invert responsibility for this war,” he emphasized. Today, because that country wished, once again, to discuss the issue of weapons supplies — “indeed, for the fourteenth time” — he underlined, once again, the need to recall the facts. The Russian Federation chose to start this war. Further, it chose to furnish itself with munitions from Pyongyang and, to conceal this, chose to cast its veto to block the mandate renewal for the relevant sanctions regime’s Panel of Experts. “Allowing Russia to achieve its goals would send a catastrophic message out to all States attempting to redraw borders by force,” he underscored, stressing that this is the reason France decided to provide political and military support to Ukraine.
The representative of Sierra Leone noted the differing perspectives presented on the supply of arms. Given the prevailing circumstances, his delegation believes it important to adhere to international legal frameworks in all weapon transfers. For any transfer of weapons in conflict situations to take place, it is necessary to conduct pre-transfer risk assessments and end-user verification to prevent the diversion of arms and ammunition, he said. In essence, any transfer of weapons must occur within the applicable international legal framework, including relevant Council resolutions.
The representative of Ecuador underscored that the use of explosive weapons in inhabited areas must cease immediately to protect civilian populations and infrastructure. Moreover, the transfer of weapons and ammunition must be governed by international legal frameworks, and all Member States must adhere to relevant Council resolutions and carry out comprehensive risk assessments to prevent diversion, illicit trafficking and misuse of weapons. Accordingly, he emphasized the importance of strictly respecting the standards of marking, registration and traceability of weapons and ammunition. The use of anti-personnel mines and cluster munitions — with their long-lasting and indiscriminate impact on civilian populations — is particularly reprehensible and must cease immediately, he stressed.
The representative of Algeria expressed concern over the use, or threat of use, of weapons and ammunition with increasing lethality and destructive power in this conflict. Further, the flow of weapons and ammunition into conflict zones may pose a risk of proliferation and is likely to undermine efforts to achieve peace. Calling on the parties, once again, to “abandon the logic of confrontation and escalation” — and instead privilege inclusive, constructive negotiations — he also urged them to “do their utmost” to prevent weapons from falling into the hands of criminal and terrorist groups. Additionally, he underscored that the solution to this crisis lies in achieving a just and lasting peace, based on the purposes and principles of the UN Charter and the “legitimate security concerns of all parties”.
The representative of Slovenia, noting the discussion on the issue of arms transfers, stressed that “we are compelled to return to the same underlying fact: arms are being supplied in order to support Ukraine as it is facing an unjustified war of aggression.” This would not be needed if the Russian Federation had not launched its full-scale invasion. The President of Ukraine would not have called for support in air defence had Moscow not aimed more than 80 missiles and drones against Ukraine’s critical civilian infrastructure in a single night. Expressing continued full support for Ukraine’s right of self-defence, she underscored the need to not overlook illegal arms procurements that support the Russian Federation’s aggression against Ukraine.
The representative of China observed that the continued flow of weapons to the battlefield only exacerbates the risk of worsening the crisis and does not contribute to de-escalation. However, “it is better to end the war through negotiations rather than gunfire”, he said, and called on all parties to intensify their diplomatic efforts for a ceasefire. He stressed that “China is not a manufacturer of the crisis nor a party to the conflict” as it has not provided lethal weapons to parties to the conflict, nor has it done anything to profit from the crisis. Instead, it has consistently advocated for peace and supported the timely convening of an international conference recognized by both parties to discuss all peace options.
The representative of Mozambique, noting the Council’s multiple meetings on this topic, observed that the warring parties have remained inflexible while adhering to “a military logic that has proven unrealistic and unsustainable”. He underscored that finding credible, committed solutions to silencing the guns in Ukraine should be the “main issue on the table right now”, expressing concern that the conflict’s current trajectory could lead to strategic miscalculations that engulf Europe and beyond in a wider conflict. While recognizing the sovereign right to self-defence, he also underlined the importance of responsible arms transfers within the existing international legal framework. He therefore called on all States that have not yet done so to adhere to all relevant international instruments — including the United Nations Register of Conventional Arms, the Arms Trade Treaty and the Firearms Protocol — to bring greater transparency and accountability to the flow of weapons.
The representative of the United States said that the Russian Federation has procured ballistic missile launchers and dozens of ballistic missiles from the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea in violation of Council resolutions. Since December 2023, Russian Federation forces have used Pyongyang-supplied ballistic missiles to strike Ukraine nearly a dozen times, firing upwards of 40 such arms. Since September 2023, the Kremlin has procured over 11,000 shipping containers of munitions and munitions-related material from the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea in violation of the UN arms embargo against that country. By using its veto against the Panel of Experts, Moscow is attempting to hide the full extent of its procurement of arms and ballistic missiles from Pyongyang, he said. It also continues to deepen its military relationship with Iran, including through its acquisition of armed uncrewed aerial vehicles used to target Ukrainian civilian infrastructure. The international community has overwhelmingly condemned the Russian Federation’s aggression, he said, stating that the Kremlin “can end this war today”.
The representative of Malta, Council President for the month, said the Russian Federation is trying to convince the international community that Ukraine is not entitled to receive any assistance from its allies as it tries to protect its citizens and its territory. According to this reasoning, small countries should “accept their fate” when their larger, more powerful neighbours decide to invade them, attack and annex their territory. She also condemned the massive wave of missile and drone attacks targeting power and essential facilities in Ukraine, which have left more than 1 million people without power in the past weeks. Reports that Moscow is using ballistic missiles originating from the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea in Ukraine are equally worrying. She also deplored the use of anti-personnel landmines and cluster munitions in Ukraine, adding that “Russia holds the key to ending this war.”
The representative of Ukraine observed that wasting time and resources for “the Russian propaganda performance” today cannot contribute to fulfilling the Council’s mandate, but added that the Russian Federation’s presence in the chamber renders doing so impossible regardless. Recalling the briefings delivered during the 11 April Council meeting about the disastrous situation in Ukraine, he said: “I can assure you that nothing whatsoever has changed over the last 24 hours.” Moscow bets on mass terror to break the Ukrainian people “over the knee” and, if Ukraine runs out of weapons or lacks air-defence systems, “this bet might pay off”, he emphasized. “Russia will continue its terror unimpeded, declaring every power plant destroyed to be a military object and every child killed to be a neo-Nazi militant,” he said, calling on those who fail to distinguish between defender and aggressor while making out-of-context calls to halt arms supplies to “realize the real implications of their starry-eyed position”.
He went on to point out that, for their part, Tehran and Pyongyang “seem to pay no heed to the Council’s meetings on weapons supplies”, as they continue to supply the Russian Federation Armed Forces with missiles, drones and ammunition. “And we can only guess what Russia is offering in return,” he said, noting Moscow’s recent veto of the mandate renewal for the 1718 Committee’s Panel of Experts as “just the tip of the iceberg”. Underscoring that Ukraine needs air-defence systems and fighter aircraft to protect its civilians from the Russian Federation’s terror, he also stressed that artillery is needed to move the front lines and restore normal life in the territories occupied by the Russian Federation and that accountability is needed to prevent Moscow from restoring its potential for new attacks in the future. “If solidarity with Ukraine is upheld and strengthened, it will only sober the aggressor; if it is undermined, the aggressor’s appetites will only grow,” he underscored, adding: “So make the right choice.”