UK Chargé d’Affaires James Ford underscored in a speech in Vienna on March 12 that Russia’s illegal aggression against Ukraine continues to cause immense suffering and fuel instability far beyond Ukraine’s borders.
The speech formed part of a meeting of the Permanent Council of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), for which Ford is deputy head of mission at the UK Delegation.
“As we marked recently here at the OSCE, Ukrainians have now endured over four years of Russia’s full-scale war. We must never become inured to the Russian military’s brutal attacks, nor allow the deaths of Ukrainian civilians to become normalised,” Ford said.
His speech referred to “Russia’s needless war of aggression against Ukraine” which he said has created “insecurity and driven economic instability across our region, far beyond Ukraine’s borders.”
Evidence of the effects of Russia’s actions include undermining global food security, reduction in grain exports due to strikes on Ukraine’s Black Sea ports, and constrained availability of cereals for emergency operations, Ford said.
The speech also discussed the impact of Russia’s continued strikes on Ukraine’s energy system, citing attacks on power infrastructure and disruption to electricity supplies – including to facilities linked to nuclear safety – which “undermine confidence in the mechanisms designed to prevent wider escalation.”
Ford also touched on the international affects of Russia’s expansion of military recruitment far beyond its borders.
“There is now growing evidence of thirdcountry nationals being tricked into travelling to Russia under the guise of legitimate employment or education opportunities, before being compelled to fight,” Ford said.
He also pointed to Russia’s acts of desperation with no regard for the consequences, including its choice of partners for fighting its war in Ukraine – namely North Korea and Iran.
“Russia has turned to Pyongyang for ammunition, artillery and combat troops. In return, Russia has provided military, economic, and diplomatic support, undermining the global sanctions regimes it is obliged to uphold,” Ford explained, adding that Russia’s cooperation with the DPRK in its war of aggression “has contributed to greater instability in the Indo-Pacific region.”
Referring to Iran, the Charges d’Affaires acknowledged that Tehran has supplied Moscow with ballistic missiles, lethal drones and the technology needed to expand its production, enabling Russia “to sustain its campaign of strikes against Ukrainian civilians and infrastructure.”
He added that “Russia’s war has therefore not only drawn Iran deeper into its aggression but has heightened the risk of wider regional destabilisation.”
In setting out what must be done, Ford’s key messages included the importance of keeping Ukraine a central focus, and that addressing Russia’s aggression is essential to restoring broader international security.
“Ukraine’s security is integral to our own, and the path to wider stability runs through a just and lasting peace for Ukraine,” Ford concluded.
The full transcript of the speech can be found here.