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3 March 2014Madame President,Lithuania strongly condemns the clear violation act of aggression by the Russian Federation of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine. The military actions we are witnessing on Crimean soil defy the fundamental principles of international law,  the Helsinki Final Act, the Budapest Memorandum of 1994, the Treaty of Friendship and Cooperation between Russia and Ukraine of 1997, and the legal framework regulating the presence of the Russian Black Sea fleet.This  blatant breach  of UN Charter  has no place in the 21st century and  evokes,  for too many in our part of the world,  the memories of the darkest pages of the 20th century. It is a threat to international peace and security and stability and must be clearly qualified as such. The violations of international law must also entail the international responsibility.Nothing, none of the events in Ukraine warrant the military invasion we are witnessing from the Russian side. The will of the Ukrainian people to pursue a path of democratic transformations and rebuild the rule of law in the country must be respected.

We call on the Russian Federation to withdraw its forces back to their permanent bases and to refrain from any further intervention or interference in Ukraine. Let me stress that the international community has a wide array of instruments that can and must be used to resolve existing differences and deescalate the situation through political dialogue and consultations- especially as all the major regional and international organisations – UN, Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), Council of Europe, and others, - are offering their mediation and good offices to this effect. The presence of Deputy Secretary General Eliasson and OSCE representatives on the ground testify clearly to that.  We welcome the proposal by the OSCE to send a monitoring mission to Crimea and other regions of Ukraine. We urge the Russian Federation to urgently respond to it positively.

In light of international efforts, Russia cannot continue forging ahead with military invasion, especially as Ukraine has repeatedly offered consultations with Russian counterparts. Consultations mechanisms are also foreseen in the Budapest Memorandum and must be used to de-escalate the situation. All these avenues should be  utilised with a sense of great urgency, including bilateral contacts, in order to move away from the brink of war.

We stress once again the inadmissibility of the threat or use of force in international relations. We call on the international community to stand united in support of Ukraine’s sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity. Efforts to destabilize the situation, as well as to stoke radical actions and separatism in Crimea and elsewhere in Ukraine are highly dangerous.  We commend the restraint shown by the new government of Ukraine and their determination not to give in to provocations.

We support UNSG’s efforts to defuse the crisis and welcome the proposal by the OSCE to send monitoring mission to Crimea and other regions of Ukraine, as well as other proposals aimed at defusing the crisis.  We urge the Russian Federation to respond to these efforts and to seize the opportunity before it is too late.

I thank you Madame President.