United Nations S/ PV.8270 Security Council Provisional Seventy-third year 8270th meeting Tuesday, 29 May 2018, 3 p.m. New York President: Mr. Czaputowicz ................................ (Poland) Members: Bolivia (Plurinational State of) ..................... Mr. Llorentty Solíz China ......................................... Mr. Ma Zhaoxu Côte d’Ivoire ................................... Mr. Djédjé Equatorial Guinea ............................... Mr. Esono Mbengono Ethiopia ....................................... Mr. Alemu France ........................................ Mr. Delattre Kazakhstan .................................... Mr. Umarov Kuwait ........................................ Mr. Alotaibi Netherlands .................................... Mr. Blok Peru .......................................... Mr. Tenya Russian Federation ............................... Mr. Nebenzia Sweden ....................................... Mr. Skoog United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland .. Ms. Pierce United States of America .......................... Mrs. Haley Agenda Letter dated 28 February 2014 from the Permanent Representative of Ukraine to the United Nations addressed to the President of the Security Council (S/2014/136) This record contains the text of speeches delivered in English and of the translation of speeches delivered in other languages. The final text will be printed in the Official Records of the Security Council. Corrections should be submitted to the original languages only. They should be incorporated in a copy of the record and sent under the signature of a member of the delegation concerned to the Chief of the Verbatim Reporting Service, room U-0506 ([email protected]). Corrected records will be reissued electronically on the Official Document System of the United Nations (http://documents.un.org). 18-16233 (E) *1816233* S/PV.8270 Ukraine 29/05/2018 The meeting was called to order at 3.10 p.m. Today’s Council meeting is the first on the situation in Ukraine since 2 February 2017 (see S/PV.7876), Adoption of the agenda when an upsurge in violence threatened to spiral out of control. In the intervening period, diplomatic talks have The agenda was adopted. continued — in the Normandy format, the Trilateral Contact Group and through bilateral processes. Despite Letter dated 28 February 2014 from the Permanent such commendable efforts, the security situation on Representative of Ukraine to the United Nations the ground remains volatile, with the continued use addressed to the President of the Security Council of weapons proscribed by the Minsk agreements. The (S/2014/136) relative calm that held in the early weeks of 2018 was The President: In accordance with rule 37 of the followed in April and May by a sharp increase in the Council’s provisional rules of procedure, I invite the number of victims. representative of Ukraine to participate in this meeting. The United Nations is deeply concerned about the On behalf of the Council, I welcome His Excellency recent deterioration of the situation at the contact line, Mr. Pavlo Klimkin, Minister for Foreign Affairs including in the area around the Donetsk filtration of Ukraine. station. We join the calls by Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) Chief Monitor, In accordance with rule 39 of the Council’s Ambassador Ertuğrul Apakan, on 18 May and by the provisional rules of procedure, I invite the following Special Representative of the Chairperson-in-Office briefers to participate in this meeting: Ms. Rosemary in Ukraine, Ambassador Martin Sajdik, on 22 May DiCarlo, Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs; for an immediate cessation of fighting. The violence Ambassador Ertuğrul Apakan, Chief Monitor of the puts civilian lives at risk and causes destruction of Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe infrastructure, on which people depend for their basic Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine; and Ms. Ursula needs on both sides of the contact line. In the light Mueller, Assistant Secretary-General for Humanitarian of recent reports of increased military preparedness Affairs and Deputy Emergency Relief Coordinator. along the contact line, we highlight the need for the utmost restraint. Ambassador Apakan is joining today’s meeting via video tele-conference from Minsk. On 17 February 2015, the Council adopted resolution 2202 (2015), which endorsed the package of measures The Security Council will now begin its for the implementation of the Minsk agreements. consideration of the item on its agenda. The Council called on all parties to fully implement I give the floor to Ms. DiCarlo. the package of measures, including a comprehensive ceasefire. The Minsk agreements remain the foundation Ms. DiCarlo: The conflict in eastern Ukraine is for the international community’s commitment to now in its fifth year. It may no longer make international restoring peace in eastern Ukraine. Yet, more three headlines, but it is neither dormant nor frozen. It is very years since the adoption of resolution 2202 (2015), much alive and requires our attention, in particular to the Minsk provisions remain largely unimplemented. alleviate the human cost. Negotiations appear to have lost momentum, with the Repeated pledges to respect the ceasefire have main stakeholders unable to reach agreement on key not stopped the fighting, far from it. While there has steps. Except for the exchange of detainees during been an overall reduction of violence and casualties the Christmas period last year, efforts to move the since 2015, the killing, destruction and immense talks forward have achieved little so far. Practical suffering continues. According to the Office of the solutions are often identified but not followed through. United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Meanwhile, discussions on a potential international the civilian death toll of the conflict stands at more peace operation have so far been inconclusive. than 2,700, with up to 9,000 injured. An estimated The United Nations continues to provide 1.6 million people remain internally displaced — the humanitarian assistance, human rights monitoring largest uprooted population in Europe and among the and development support, including in the framework 10 largest in the world. of Ukraine’s reform efforts. But the scale and urgency 2/28 18-16233 29/05/2018 Ukraine S/PV.8270 of needs resulting from the conflict remain immense. Mission’s freedom of movement and for an immediate There are more than half a million civilians living within end to all use of force and threats against its monitors. five kilometres of the line of contact, subjected night We look forward to hearing an update today from the and day to shelling, gunfire, landmines and unexploded Chief Monitor of the Mission, Ambassador Apakan. ordnance. Children miss out on vital education. Health The Secretary-General travelled to Kyiv early in problems are worsening, with an increase in the number his tenure to highlight the serious concern of the United of cases of drug-resistant tuberculosis and HIV/AIDS. Nations with regard to the situation in Ukraine and the The area around the contact line is now the third most plight of the people affected by the conflict. The visit in mine-contaminated area in the world. Residential areas, July 2017 demonstrated support for the independence, as well as critical infrastructure, are frequently shelled, sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine within deliberately or accidentally. We call on all concerned to its internationally recognized borders, in accordance take the necessary measures to protect civilians and to with the relevant General Assembly resolutions. uphold international human rights obligations. The Secretary-General has consistently called The United Nations Human Rights Monitoring for a demonstration of the necessary political will to Mission in Ukraine continues to report on human rights cease hostilities and to end the suffering of the civilian violations and abuses carried out on both sides of the population — a call he reiterated in his statement contact line. In accordance with the relevant General of 23 December 2017, on the eve of the so-called Assembly resolutions, the monitoring of the situation Christmas ceasefire. In his New Year message to the in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of General Assembly this year, the Secretary-General also Sebastopol is being carried out, but with great difficulty called for revitalizing relevant mediation initiatives due to a lack of access. in Europe, including the Normandy format and the As a consequence of the conflict, eastern Ukraine Trilateral Contact Group in Ukraine. We hope the is facing a serious humanitarian crisis. Restrictions and intensification of diplomatic engagements in recent impediments on international humanitarian access to weeks will generate the necessary political impetus for conflict-affected areas continue to limit aid delivery progress in implementing the Minsk agreements and to those in need. With 3.4 million people in need of improving the prospects for a settlement of the conflict. humanitarian assistance, we urge everyone to facilitate To overcome the status quo, it is imperative to inject humanitarian access and encourage Member States to efforts with new political energy. do more to support efforts to address the crisis. The The Ukraine conflict is first and foremost a tragedy Assistant Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, for the Ukrainian people, but it also takes place in a Ms.