“In these minutes, just like yesterday, and a week, and a month, and a year ago, air raid alerts are sounding over our country... Over the past week alone, russia has fired over 200 missiles and more than 700 guided bombs at our civilian buildings and energy facilities. Hundreds of thousands of civilians are now without electricity,” the First Deputy Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine Oleksandr Korniienko said in his speech.
At the same time, he emphasised on behalf of the Ukrainian people: “russia is trying to turn off the light in our homes, but it will never turn off the light in our souls.”
Ukraine has been at war for 762 days since russia's full-scale invasion and has been fighting for freedom for 3,619 days since 2014
“The Ukrainian people continue to heroically resist russian aggression, standing up for the entire civilised and democratic world,” said the First Vice Speaker, noting that this would not have been possible without the courage of Ukrainian soldiers and the clear position of our allies in supporting Ukraine. He expressed gratitude for the military and financial support.
Oleksandr Korniienko told the audience that Ukraine has been at war for 762 days since russia's full-scale invasion and has been fighting for freedom for 3,619 days since 2014: “Tens of thousands of our brothers and sisters have given their lives for our freedom and independence.”
All violations of international law by russia require a strong response from the international community
“Numerous international human rights monitoring and investigative bodies have documented numerous evidences of mass premeditated killings, arbitrary detentions, enforced disappearances, torture and ill-treatment committed by the russian occupiers,” the First Vice-Speaker stressed, adding that journalists, human rights defenders and lawyers continue to be subjected to interference and persecution.
Oleksandr Korniienko stated that russia is forcing civilians in the occupied territories to serve in the russian army, which is a gross violation of international humanitarian law and a war crime. At the same time, Ukrainian prisoners of war and civilians in russian custody are subjected to torture and inhuman treatment. Ukrainian children forcibly taken or deported to the russian federation are placed in foster care or adopted by russian families.
“All these violations of international law by russia require a strong response from the international community,” said the First Deputy Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine.
Just, comprehensive and lasting peace is possible only through collective will and collective action
In this regard, in his speech, Oleksandr Korniienko elaborated on the presentation of the Peace Formula of the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyi: “The Ukrainian Peace Formula is a peace plan that can prevent the threat of using nuclear weapons against a non-nuclear state and the threat to the safety of nuclear power plants, the use of hunger as a weapon and the undermining of energy security.”
The First Deputy Speaker also said that the Peace Formula refers to the enormous damage caused to the ecology and environment, the abuse and torture of military and civilian prisoners, mass forced deportations, numerous war crimes and war damage.
“The Peace Formula has already become an international ecosystem. Today, it is a holistic structure whose elements are closely interconnected. A just, comprehensive and lasting peace is possible only through collective will and collective action,” said Oleksandr Korniienko, adding that responsible states that respect international law must remain united and committed to saving the world: “The war can be prevented only by providing Ukraine with reliable multilateral security guarantees.”
At the same time, he noted that the implementation of the Peace Formula would lay the foundation for ending tyranny in the future.
In addition, the First Deputy Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine said that the Peace Formula of the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyi is based on the basic principles of the UN Charter and international law, as well as respect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of countries within their internationally recognised borders.
“It is very important that as many countries as possible support this plan. After all, isolating russia will change the global situation, along with Ukraine's successes on the battlefield,” said Oleksandr Korniienko.
In this context, he drew attention to the Global Peace Summit, a gathering of world leaders committed to the establishment of a just, lasting and comprehensive peace as soon as possible.
The international parliamentary community can make a significant contribution to achieving the goals of the Peace Formula
The First Deputy Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine stressed that Ukrainians are extremely grateful that the IPU members, by adopting resolutions at the 144th and 145th Assemblies, strongly condemned russia's aggressive war against Ukraine and called on it to withdraw its troops from Ukrainian territory.
“We are confident that the international parliamentary community can make a significant contribution to achieving the goals of the Peace Formula. Only through joint efforts and pressure on russia in all possible international formats can we achieve our ultimate goal – the establishment of a just, comprehensive and lasting peace in Ukraine based on the UN Charter,” Oleksandr Korniienko concluded, calling on the members of the Inter-Parliamentary Union to join the Ukrainian Peace Formula and the Global Peace Summit.
For reference. On 23-27 March, the Ukrainian delegation headed by the First Deputy Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine Oleksandr Korniienko is on a working visit to the Swiss Confederation.
The programme of the visit primarily includes participation of delegates in the 148th Assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union.
The Ukrainian delegation also includes members of the Ukrainian Parliament: the Chairman of the Committee on Foreign Policy and Interparliamentary Cooperation Oleksandr Merezhko, the Deputy Chairman of the Committee on Foreign Policy and Interparliamentary Cooperation Arsenii Pushkarenko, the member of the Committee on Foreign Policy and Interparliamentary Cooperation Olha Rudenko, the member of the Committee on Environmental Policy and Nature Management Lesia Vasylenko, the member of the Committee on Anti-Corruption Policy Oleksii Zhmerenetskyi, the member of the Committee on Humanitarian and Information Policy Oleksandr Sanchenko, and the member of the Committee on Agrarian and Land Policy Artur Herasymov.