• Prime Minister Liz Truss will join a virtual gathering of G7 leaders and President Zelenskyy today (Tuesday 11 October).
• Meeting comes in the wake of Putin’s illegal annexation of four Ukrainian territories and a brutal assault on Ukrainian civilians in Kyiv and elsewhere.
• The Prime Minister will ask countries to maintain biting sanctions and call for a full meeting of NATO leaders in the coming days.

G7 leaders will meet today (Tuesday 11 October) to reiterate the unity of opposition to Putin’s continued brutality in Ukraine.

In the last 24 hours Russia has stepped up its attacks on Ukrainian cities like Kyiv, killing civilians and cutting off electricity and communications. This follows Putin’s orchestration of sham referendums in an attempt to annex four Ukrainian regions.

Today’s video call, which will also be attended by President Zelenskyy, is the first gathering of all G7 leaders since Ukraine’s counter-offensive started to take hold in Ukraine.

The Prime Minister will use the call to urge fellow leaders to stay the course. She will point out that Ukraine’s military advances have been made possible thanks to the international support they are receiving – not just in terms of military aid, but also humanitarian assistance and the impact of western sanctions against Russia.

The Prime Minister is also calling for an urgent meeting of NATO leaders, ensuring allies remain united and resolute in their opposition to Putin’s behaviour.

Addressing fellow G7 leaders, the Prime Minister is expected to say:

The overwhelming international support for Ukraine’s struggle stands in stark opposition to the isolation of Russia on the international stage.

Their bravery in the face of the most brutal acts of violence has earned the people of Ukraine global admiration.

Nobody wants peace more than Ukraine. And for our part, we must not waver one iota in our resolve to help them win it.

Yesterday the Prime Minister spoke to President Zelenskyy to condemn the recent attacks on Kyiv and the annexation of Ukrainian territories, and to reiterate the UK’s support.

This year the UK has committed £2.3 billion in military support to Ukraine, which has enabled the provision of Multiple Launch Rocket Systems, hundreds of rockets, thousands of rounds of ammunition, crucial defence vehicles and five air defence systems including Starstreak.

As the Ukrainian Armed Forces face a difficult winter, the UK is also providing critical cold weather gear and other forms of non-lethal support to bolster their resilience.

Later this week, all UN members will vote on Russia’s breach of the UN Charter with its annexation of Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia. 141 UN member states voted to condemn Putin’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in March, and earlier this month the majority of UN Security Council members voted against the recent annexations.

In their call today, G7 leaders are also expected to discuss the global energy crisis precipitated by Putin’s actions. The group is currently working to finalise and implement an international cap on the price of Russian oil, which will further damage Putin’s revenue stream.

The Prime Minister will point to this action as evidence of what the G7 can do both to constrain Putin and act as an economic NATO, defending our countries’ interests.

The Prime Minister is working with fellow leaders to increase our energy independence and end the global reliance on malign states, such as Russia, in our critical resources.

Mr President, Excellencies,

In February, the General Assembly met in an Emergency Special Session to condemn Russia’s illegal invasion of Ukraine.

And today, we meet again to condemn Russia’s sham referenda and attempted illegal annexation of the Ukrainian regions of Kherson, Zaporizhyzhya, Luhansk and Donetsk: the largest forcible annexation attempt since the Second World War.

Putin is trying to take Ukraine’s land, its resources, its identity. In so doing, he is overturning the most sacred principle in the international system: that borders cannot be redrawn by force.

Over seven months into the war, the whole world understands the terrible cost of Russia’s invasion.

In Ukraine, families count that cost in the bodies exhumed from mass graves, in the rubble of flattened towns and the lost education for millions of innocent children, and in the growing list of friends and relatives detained or forcibly deported through Russia’s filtration process.  Even this morning, millions across Ukraine awoke to the sound of air raid sirens as Russia carried out one of the largest bombardments of civilian areas and infrastructure of the war.

Around the world, people and governments are suffering from the unaffordable cost of higher food and energy prices. As a result of Russia’s invasion, everyone’s lives have been made more difficult – and more insecure.
Here in New York, we also see the cost in terms of damage to the UN Charter. The UN Charter enshrines the principle that no threat or use of force shall be made against the territorial integrity or political independence of any state.

We have no way to resolve disputes or achieve the fundamental goals of the UN if we concede this principle – if any rogue head of state can by force or fiat change the borders of another UN member.

This Assembly’s call on Russia since the start of its illegal invasion has been simple: end this war and withdraw from Ukraine.

For the sake of Ukraine, Russia and the entire UN membership, we reiterate this call today. We call on Russia to end the war and honour the UN Charter.

Colleagues, at the end of this debate, we will have an opportunity to vote on a resolution to condemn Russia’s so-called referenda and illegal annexation. We urge everyone here to vote in support of international law, the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all states and the UN Charter.

We urge all members to vote “yes” on the resolution.

I thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

The UK is committed to the promotion, protection and realisation of the rights of all children. Disparities between children continue to grow, and we must ensure that our efforts to promote and protect the rights of children leave no child behind.

Following the COVID pandemic, this work is now more urgent than ever. As the Special Representative for the Secretary-General on Violence against Children noted in her annual report, violence against children increased during the pandemic while also becoming less visible. We also know that normal prevention and response mechanisms were disrupted – leaving many children without vital support networks. These challenges illustrate the critical importance of strong, pre-existing child-sensitive and gender-sensitive systems as a basis for effective responses.

In the recent Secretary General’s report on the issue of Child, Early and Forced Marriage highlights how COVID is likely to lead to an additional 10 million child brides ahead of 2030, particularly those from poor households and rural areas. To help protect our collective hard-won gains, the UK pledged £18 million of funding to accelerate efforts through the UN Global Programme to End Child Marriage, last year.

But it is not just the impacts of COVID. We are also deeply concerned by the impact of conflict and humanitarian crisis on children’s rights, safety and wellbeing. According to the Secretary General’s Annual Report on Children and Armed Conflict, cases of sexual violence and abduction have increased significantly, by over 20%. The abduction of girls has also increased by 41%. We recognise that protecting children from the effects of armed conflict is a moral, legal and strategic imperative and an essential element to break the cycle of violence.

As I’ve said in other sessions, tackling sexual violence in conflict remains a top priority for the UK. We will host an international Preventing Sexual Violence in Conflict Initiative Conference next month. And in November last year, the UK launched the Call to Action to Ensure the Rights and Wellbeing of Children Born of Sexual Violence in Conflict. This call was a first step in galvanising international action to support tens of thousands of children who are marginalised and stigmatised by families and communities. Since then, we have also been collaborating with experts and children born of conflict-related sexual violence to develop a detailed framework, called the Platform for Action. We are calling upon Governments to formally endorse the Call to Action and develop their own concrete commitments under the platform to support this vulnerable group.

Finally, threats to children online continue to grow and evolve at a horrifying rate. At any given moment 750,000 people are looking to connect online with children across the globe for sexual purposes. The UK is proud to have recently been identified as a global leader in tackling all forms of child sexual exploitation and abuse and to have led a UN resolution recognising the role of the private sector and robust, coherent regulation in protecting children from sexual abuse online.

Mr. Chair, protecting the rights of children is a central part of the UK’s work at home and overseas. We remain steadfast in our commitment to protecting children everywhere, hearing their voices, and ensuring that no child is left behind. Thank you.