Russian dictator Putin's speech on the use of, in his own words, an intermediate-range ballistic missile against Ukraine has been thoroughly documented. From the international legal point of view, this speech is another important evidence and de facto admission of guilt in the crime of aggression against Ukraine and all the resulting atrocities against Ukrainians. We will ensure that this and other public confessions by Putin are used to bring him and his accomplices to justice. Justice is inevitable.
Putin's statement once again shows that only Russia is interested in continuing this war. It is Putin who is constantly expanding its scale and cruelty, involving weapons from Iran and the DPRK, North Korean troops, and now using a strategic ballistic missile that could be a carrier of weapons of mass destruction. We call on the nuclear club countries to warn the Russian Federation against threatening the use of nuclear weapons.
Accusations of Ukraine or its partners of alleged misconduct that somehow provoked a criminal to commit crimes are absurd. Ukraine is defending itself against aggression under Article 51 of the UN Charter and has every right to strike any legitimate military targets on the territory of the Russian Federation in accordance with international law. In order for these strikes to stop, Russia needs only to stop its aggression and withdraw its troops from the sovereign territory of Ukraine.
Today's statement confirms once again that Putin is the only one standing in the way of stopping the war and restoring a comprehensive, just and lasting peace. His recent reckless steps, including strikes on Ukraine's nuclear energy facilities and the use of a new type of missile, are a challenge to all those leaders who have recently spoken out against the expansion of the war. We hope that they will not remain silent but will respond to Putin's disregard, unacceptable threats to radiation safety, and unacceptable nuclear blackmail.
Putin's attempts to manipulate public opinion in Asia, the Middle East, Africa, and South America, and to shift responsibility for the war he started onto other countries, deserve special attention. His attempts to present himself as a fighter for a multipolar world are senseless. After all, Russia's policy towards Ukraine, including the chronic failure to recognize our country's right to exist, independence and sovereignty, and attempts to grab Ukrainian mineral resources, is nothing more than a colonial, imperialist policy.
Under the mantra of transition to a multipolar world, Russia persistently spreads the narrative of the legitimacy of using force to redistribute spheres of influence, which is completely contrary to the UN Charter, norms and principles of international law.
Putin himself has proved to the world today that he can only be forced to peace, no amount of talking will work. Appeasement has never worked and will not work now. The only realistic approach is peace through strength, restoration of full respect for the UN Charter, international law, and Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity.