UN General Assembly
2025

The Security Council, to which we have entrusted the greatest powers and special responsibility for maintaining peace, cannot pretend that it is succeeding. It is failing. The war in Ukraine reminds us daily how fragile peace is when the UN Charter is disregarded and international law is ignored, as its neighbour, Slovakia, witnesses the immense cost of this war. Sadly, despite all efforts towards a peaceful settlement, Ukraine must defend itself against Russia. This is despite the groundwork for diplomatic talks being set at the US-Russia summit in Alaska, despite the clear agreement that negotiations would soon continue with Ukraine being included. Ladies and gentlemen, instead, two weeks ago, the airspace of Poland, our neighbour and ally, was seriously violated by Russian drones, a flagrant violation of sovereignty, international law and direct threat to shared Euro-Atlantic security, equally as we saw it also in Estonia and Romania. I want to express my firm support and solidarity with our allies. The door open to negotiations should never be mistaken for weakness or an invitation to further violence.