By Mykola Dzhydzhora

Charge d’Affaires of the Embassy of Ukraine in the State of Kuwait

Ukraine, more than any other country, aspires for the war to end and for peace to prevail. However, in order for a just and lasting peace to be achieved, it would be vital for Ukraine to be offered guarantees that the war will not be rekindled again in a few years time. Since 2014, when Russia occupied Crimea, Luhansk, and Donetsk, Ukraine has engaged in over 200 rounds of negotiations with Russia and reached approximately 20 ceasefire agreements. Despite these efforts, which aimed to bring about peace, Russia launched on February 24, 2022, a full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

There have been a number of resolutions adopted by the UN General Assembly in 2022 and supported by a majority of states including Kuwait, which makes it undoubtedly clear that Russia violated the UN Charter and international law by invading Ukraine. Ukraine’s neutrality, enshrined in its national law since 2010, and the presence of the Russian military base in Crimea, did not protect it from the Russian full-scale invasion. Furthermore, Ukraine relinquished its nuclear weapons to Russia in exchange for guarantees of Ukrainian sovereignty and territorial integrity. These assurances were provided by Russia, the United States, the United Kingdom, and France, as per the Budapest Memorandum signed on December 5, 1994. Despite being one of the signatories and the first to benefit from this agreement, Russia violated it by occupying Ukrainian territories rich in natural resources.

We view the United States as an essential partner whose support has been, and continues to be, critical for our struggle to defend the people of Ukraine. However, to secure a lasting peace, we need the unwavering support of our partners, along with strong security guarantees. This is the primary message that the President of Ukraine conveyed during his recent visit to Washington. We are grateful to the USA, United Kingdom, France, and many other countries, which have stood with Ukraine and helped the Ukrainian people, both in defending our rights and in providing humanitarian support.

I would also like to take this opportunity to express our gratitude to the friendly State of Kuwait for the support we received at the United Nations after the Russian full-scale invasion, including Kuwait’s support for the key United Nations resolutions in this regard, its principled position in recognizing Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, and its provision of humanitarian aid to the Ukrainian people.

Ukraine now seeks peace, but for peace to last, it should remain a strong country and with solid guarantees that such a war will never happen again, instead of a temporary ceasefire that would allow the war to restart. History has taught us that the aggressor must be stopped. As the entire civilized world came together in 1990 to defend Kuwait ‘s sovereignty and territorial integrity for the sake of world peace and order; it is doing the same for Ukraine.