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Under Secretary Zeya’s Remarks at the Ministerial Conference on the Human Dimension of Ukraine’s 10-Point Peace Formula [1]

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Date: 2024-10

Under Secretary Zeya’s Remarks at the Ministerial Conference on the Human Dimension of Ukraine’s 10-Point Peace Formula

Good evening.

Thank you to our Canadian, Ukrainian, and Norwegian co-hosts for their unrelenting efforts to protect the lives and rights of Ukrainians and to pursue a comprehensive, just, and lasting peace. The United States is committed to Ukraine’s victory, and I am honored to be here soon after an inspiring visit to Kyiv, where I witnessed the remarkable bravery and resilience of Ukrainians first-hand.

We gather here to realize President’s Zelenskyy’s vision of peace for Ukraine, one that must rectify the horrific impact of Russia’s abuses and crimes against humanity inflicted upon the Ukrainian people. The United States condemns in the strongest possible terms Russia’s war of aggression, which has displaced nearly a third of the Ukrainian population, killed over 11,000 civilians, and injured over 25,000 civilians since February 2022. We deplore Russia’s execution-style killings of Ukrainian men, women, and children; the torture of civilians in detention; and the deportation of hundreds of thousands of Ukrainian civilians to Russia, including children forcibly separated from their families. While in Kyiv, I saw the aftermath of Russia’s devastating missile attack on Okhmatdyt Children’s hospital last July, as well as the continued painstaking investigation of atrocities in Bucha. These acts are not random or spontaneous; they are part of the Kremlin’s widespread and systematic attack against Ukraine’s civilian population and infrastructure.

The United States resolves to ensure the human lives behind these tragedies are not forgotten. For Ukraine’s enduring peace, the devastating human impact of Russia’s war must first be recognized, then held to account. I want to thank Kateryna Yesypenko for being here today to illuminate the devastating plight of her husband Vladyslav Yesypenko, who was arrested in 2021 by occupation authorities in Crimea while working for Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. His so-called crime was investigating the dire conditions under which Ukrainians endure Russia’s occupation. Kateryna – we stand with you, and your courage propels our demands for Vladyslav’s release, alongside thousands of his unjustly detained compatriots.

As it fights to defend its very existence, Ukraine is grappling with the extraordinary challenge of rescuing tens of thousands of its children, forcibly transferred and deported by Russia. All we have heard today, these stolen children have had their identities changed, origins obscured, been subjected to Russian militarization and indoctrination, and have even been adopted out to Russian families — any parent’s worst nightmare. Continued Russian refutation of its the Geneva Convention responsibilities to report on the children’s whereabouts makes locating them and securing their safe return ever more difficult as years pass.

As we redouble efforts to compel Russia’s compliance with international humanitarian legal protections for civilians, we cannot lose sight of the crimes of war perpetrated against Ukraine’s defenders — extrajudicial killings, torture, and abuses that must be stopped, held to account, and redressed. And as we demand the safe and dignified return of Ukrainian POWs, we cannot falter in supporting their rehabilitation and reintegration when they return. To this end, the United States is proud to have provided over $35 million to support rehabilitation and reintegration of Ukraine’s defenders, and we look forward to supporting the government’s forthcoming National Veterans Strategy.

The United States stands with the Government of Ukraine, whose relentless focus on bringing home their prisoners of war, children, and unjustly held civilians shows the world how a democracy fights for its life and its people, in accordance with international law. We stand with Ukraine, by supporting independent, international fact-finding to uncover the abuses against POWs and civilian detainees. We stand with Ukraine, by supporting Ukrainian government and civil society efforts to ceaselessly document the atrocities committed by Russia, using innovative research to locate the children forcibly deported by Russia, and the Ukrainian civilians held incommunicado in Russian prisons. We stand with Ukraine, by supporting local and international humanitarian workers risking their lives to provide aid to the most vulnerable. Finally, we stand with Ukraine by sanctioning nearly 400 entities and individuals that enable the Kremlin to wage its illegal war against Ukraine, including two entities and 11 individuals involved in the forcible transfer and deportation of Ukraine’s children, and imposed visa restrictions on eight.

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[1] Url: https://www.state.gov/under-secretary-zeyas-remarks-at-the-ministerial-conference-on-the-human-dimension-of-ukraines-10-point-peace-formula/

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