As worrying ‘New Phase’ of Armed Conflict Takes Hold in Ukraine, Speakers Tell Security Council Death Spiral Must End, Caution against Systematic Strikes
The trajectory of the years-long conflict between Ukraine and the Russian Federation must change now, the UN chief told the Security Council today, citing a sharp escalation in fighting which many delegates described as a worrying “new phase” marked by far-reaching humanitarian suffering.
“The death spiral must stop,” said Secretary-General António Guterres, briefly addressing the 15-member Council as it met to discuss the deteriorating Ukraine war for the third time in just 10 days.
Since the war broke out in February 2022, he said, more than 15,000 civilians have been killed in Ukraine, and reports from the Russian Federation also indicate a growing number of civilian casualties – including children. Humanitarian personnel are also under attack. Meanwhile, the human toll continues to worsen each year. “In the first four months of this year, more civilians have been killed in Ukraine than in the same period in 2025 – or 2024, or 2023.”
He cautioned that the war’s trajectory must change, as the present escalation only intensifies the risks of miscalculation and unintended consequences. Urgent de-escalation, a full and unconditional ceasefire and renewed diplomacy are needed, he stressed.
“In its fifth year, the Russian Federation’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine continues to exact a profound toll — disrupting global trade and economy, deepening regional and international divisions and eroding trust in the multilateral system,” said Khaled Khiari, Assistant Secretary-General for the Departments of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs and Peace Operations, who also briefed the Council.
Agreeing that today’s meeting takes place against the backdrop of an alarming escalation, he reported that, on the night of 23-24 May, Russian Federation forces launched a massive strike across Ukraine, reportedly deploying as many as 90 long-range missiles and 600 drones. Among the weapons used was the so-called “Oreshnik” intermediate-range ballistic missile, which targeted the city of Bila Tserkva in central Ukraine.
Meanwhile, Kyiv’s more than 2 million residents endured over seven hours of explosions, impacting dozens of residential buildings. The residence of Albania’s Ambassador to Ukraine and a compound housing the UN Resident Coordinator and several UN agencies were impacted by falling debris from strikes in central Kyiv.
Noting that the Russian Federation has also reported rising civilian casualties from Ukrainian strikes this week, he voiced deep concern over Moscow’s recent announcement that it will conduct “consistent and systemic strikes against Ukrainian defense enterprises in Kyiv, as well as against decision-making centres and command posts” in response to a reported Ukrainian drone attack on a college dormitory in the city of Starobilsk earlier this week.
Council Members Denounce Escalating Violence
Council members also took the floor to outline their views of the recent escalation, many sounding alarm over the spiraling violence and asserting they will not close their embassies despite Moscow’s call for foreigners, including diplomats, to leave Kyiv, ahead of systematic strikes.
“The latest mass strikes against Kyiv by Russia over the weekend, including the deployment of the Oreshnik hypersonic ballistic missiles, are an inexplicable, dangerous and barbaric escalation,” said the representative of the United States. “We caution Russia not to mount so-called systematic strikes against Kyiv,” she said, rejecting Moscow’s apparent disregard for civilians and for the protections provided to diplomatics facilities under international law.
Trapped in Impasse, Moscow Resorting to More Attacks, Victimhood Narrative
“[This] escalation shows the impasse in which Russia is trapped, refusing to engage in peace negotiations while Ukraine continues to repel its attacks,” said France’s representative, echoed by the United Kingdom’s delegate. While negotiations have been offered, Moscow has only redoubled its attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructure in a new effort to “make [Ukraine] bend”, he said.
Ukraine’s delegate, rejecting the many accusations levelled at his country by Moscow at this week’s three Security Council meetings, described the latest Russian attack as the most devastating since the war began in 2022. The events in Kyiv the night of 23-24 May show that President Putin’s goal is not a military one, but instead to impose “maximum terror” against civilians and advance a new victimhood narrative built on falsehoods and manipulation. “The only one responsible for war crimes is Putin,” he stressed, noting that his latest targets included garages, homes and even a fruit and vegetable market.
Striking a similar tone, Latvia’s delegate joined the representatives of Lithuania, who spoke on behalf of the Baltic States, and Finland, who spoke for the Nordic countries, as well as Poland, in describing Moscow’s recent strikes as “barbaric and indiscriminate” and rejecting their targeting of civilian infrastructure and cultural landmarks.
Of particular concern, she added, were the 36 ballistic weapons — one of them, the Oreshnik, nuclear-capable — used in the recent strikes. Responding to the Russian Federation’s direct threats to her country, she emphasized that Moscow “will not intimidate us […] it is time to accept that the Russian empire is in the past”.
Agreeing that Moscow’s attacks represent yet another dramatic escalation, Denmark’s speaker, echoed by the representative of the European Union, said the systematic attacks threatened against Kyiv “are outrageous and cannot be tolerated”. The longer the Russian Federation denies reality, the longer civilians will suffer, she cautioned, while the bloc’s representative declared: “Russia’s aggression will not stand”.
Foreign Diplomats Staying Put
Romania’s speaker agreed, describing this week’s events as “a dangerous escalation and a matter of concern for international security and stability”. Echoing his counterparts from Latvia and France, he also condemned threats by the Russian Federation’s Foreign Ministry for diplomats to leave Kyiv, stressing: “We will not be intimidated, and we will maintain our diplomatic presence in Ukraine.”
“The third meeting of this Council on Ukraine within 10 days is, in itself, proof enough of the need for concerted efforts to end this war,” said Greece’s delegate, joining others in voicing grave concern over “new levels of escalation” and Moscow’s growing threats against neighbouring States.
Moscow Calls Out Double Standards, Hypocrisy of West
The representative of the Russian Federation, responding to the many statements directed at his delegation, reiterated that Western countries — as well as the UN Secretariat — have largely “turned a blind eye” to the 22 May Ukrainian attack on a school dormitory which killed 21 people — primarily young girls — in Starobilsk.
Declaring the reaction to the incident “another another vivid manifestation of the double standards and hypocrisy of the West”, he asked: “Why do some victims deserve immediate compassion, while others do not?” The Russian Federation does not attack civilians or civilian infrastructure, and will never do so, he said, while nevertheless pledging to continue to fight the terrorist threat in Ukraine.
Delegates Urge Immediate De-escalation, Return to Diplomacy
Several speakers, including the representatives of Bahrain and Liberia, acknowledged the nuances and deep historical roots of the war, while nevertheless calling for immediate de-escalation and an urgent return to diplomacy.
“We do not dismiss [the conflict’s] complexity,” said the latter. “But complexity is not a legal exemption.” Recounting his country’s own wartime experience, he said Liberia received UN peacekeepers when its institutions failed. “We know what it means when the international system chooses engagement over abandonment,” he said, urging the Council to establish a system in which any verified incident exceeding a defined civilian casualty threshold would automatically initiate a Council meeting within 72 hours.
“This conflict continues to rage, leaving a trail of widespread destruction and upending the lives and livelihoods of millions of people,” said Pakistan’s delegate. China’s representative, Council President for May, spoke in his national capacity, joining the representatives of Somalia, Panama and several others in calling for urgent de-escalation and a return to the negotiating table.
Meanwhile, the representative of the Democratic Republic of the Congowarned against allowing the logic of strikes, retaliations and counter-retaliations to become entrenched, adding that a stalemate now seems to be settling upon a war “whose consequences are becoming more diffuse, more uncontrollable and more devastating each day”.
Also taking a broader view was Colombia’s delegate, who warned of the war’s increasingly negative trajectory. “Far from seeing signs of restraint, we are seeing a trend of escalation, which is exacerbating the conflict and making the prospects for peace even more remote,” she said.
While the war between Ukraine and the Russian Federation is marked by deep wounds and disagreements, she strongly cautioned against the language of “permanent confrontation”, including in the Council Chamber. “Words matter, because they also can close or open the path towards dialogue and reconciliation,” she stressed.