U.S. Embassy Kyiv Ukraine <https://www.facebook.com/usdos.ukraine>
Remarks by Ambassador Samantha Power, U.S. Permanent Representative to
the United Nations, at a UN Security Council Meeting on Ukraine
March 3, 2014
Thank you Madam President. Listening to the representative of Russia,
one might think that Moscow had just become the rapid response arm of
the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights. So many of the
assertions made this afternoon by the Russian Federation are without
basis in reality.
Let's begin with a clear and candid assessment of the facts.
It is a fact that Russian military forces have taken over Ukrainian
border posts. It is a fact that Russia has taken over the ferry terminal
in Kerch. It is a fact that Russian ships are moving in and around
Sevastapol. It is a fact that Russian forces are blocking mobile
telephone services in some areas. It is a fact that Russia has
surrounded or taken over practically all Ukrainian military facilities
in Crimea. It is a fact that today Russian jets entered Ukrainian
airspace. It is also a fact that independent journalists continue to
report that there is no evidence of violence against Russian or
pro-Russian communities.
Russian military action is not a human rights protection mission. It is
a violation of international law and a violation of the sovereignty and
territorial integrity of the independent nation of Ukraine, and a breach
of Russia's Helsinki Commitments and its UN obligations.
The central issue is whether the recent change of government in Ukraine
constitutes a danger to Russia's legitimate interests of such a nature
and extent that Russia is justified in intervening militarily in
Ukraine, seizing control of public facilities, and issuing military
ultimatums to elements of the Ukrainian military. The answer, of course,
is no. Russian military bases in Ukraine are secure. The new government
in Kyiv has pledged to honor all of its existing international
agreements, including those covering Russian bases. Russian mobilization
is a response to an imaginary threat.
A second issue is whether the population of the Crimea or other parts of
eastern Ukraine, are at risk because of the new government. There is no
evidence of this. Military action cannot be justified on the basis of
threats that haven't been made and aren't being carried out. There is no
evidence, for example, that churches in Eastern Ukraine are being or
will be attacked; the allegation is without basis. There is no evidence
that ethnic Russians are in danger. On the contrary, the new Ukrainian
government has placed a priority on internal reconciliation and
political inclusivity. President Turchinov -- the acting President --
has made clear his opposition to any restriction on the use of the
Russian tongue.
No one has to explain to Ukraine's new government the need to have open
communications, not only with leaders of the country's Russian ethnic
minority in the Crimea and elsewhere, but also with its neighbors. That
is why, when the current crisis began, the government sent its former
Chief of Defense to the region to try to defuse the situation. A second
emissary was prevented from entering the Crimean Rada to engage in
discussions. And it is why Ukrainian authorities have repeatedly reached
out to Russia. Russia needs to reciprocate and begin to engage directly
with the Government of Ukraine.
I note that Russia has implied a right to take military action in the
Crimea if invited to do so by the prime minister of Crimea. As the
Government of Russia well knows, this has no legal basis. The
prohibition on the use of force would be rendered moot were sub-national
authorities able to unilaterally invite military intervention by a
neighboring state. Under the Ukrainian constitution, only the Ukrainian
Rada can approve the presence of foreign troops.
If we are concerned about the rights of Russian-speaking minorities, the
United States is prepared to work with Russia and this Council to
protect them. We have proposed and wholeheartedly support the immediate
deployment of international observers and monitors from the UN or OSCE
to ensure that the people about whom Russia expresses such concern are
protected from abuse and to elucidate for the world the facts on the
ground. The solution to this crisis is not difficult to envision. There
is a way out. And that is through direct and immediate dialogue by
Russia with the Government of Ukraine, the immediate pull-back of
Russia's military forces, the restoration of Ukraine's territorial
integrity, and the urgent deployment of observers and human rights
monitors, not through more threats and more distortions.
Tonight the OSCE will begin deploying monitors to Ukraine. These
monitors can provide neutral and needed assessments of the situation on
the ground. Their presence is urgently necessary in Crimea and in key
cities in eastern Ukraine. The United States calls upon Russia to ensure
that their access is not impeded.
The leadership in Moscow may well be unhappy about former President
Yanukovych's decision to flee Ukraine and move in with them. Russia may
be displeased with the new government, which was approved by Ukraine's
parliament by an overwhelming majority, including members of
Yanukovych's own party. Russia has every right to wish that events in
Ukraine had turned out differently, but it does not have the right to
express that unhappiness by using military force or by trying to
convince the world community that up is down and black is white.
Russia's calls to turn back time to implement the February 21 Agreement
ring hollow. It was Yanukovych who failed to abide by the terms of that
agreement, fleeing Kyiv, and ultimately Ukraine.
The United States categorically rejects the notion that the new
Government of Ukraine is a "government of victors." It is a government
of the people and it is one that intends to shepherd the country toward
democratic elections on May 25th -- elections that would allow
Ukrainians who would prefer different leadership to have their views
heard. And the United States will stand strongly and proudly with the
people of Ukraine as they chart out their own destiny, their own
government, their own future.
The bottom line is that, for all of the self-serving rhetoric we have
heard from Russian officials in recent days, there is nothing that
justifies Russian conduct. As I said in our last session, Russia's
actions speak much louder than its words. What is happening today is not
a human rights protection mission and it is not a consensual
intervention. What is happening today is a dangerous military
intervention in Ukraine. It is an act of aggression. It must stop. This
is a choice for Russia. Diplomacy can serve Russia's interests. The
world is speaking out against the use of military threats and the use of
force. Ukrainians must be allowed to determine their own destiny. Thank
you Madam President.
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