Colleagues, on 24 February 2022 many of us were sitting in this Council when we learned the terrible news that Russia had launched an illegal and unprovoked invasion of Ukraine. On that day, and on every one of the 882 days since, Ukraine has been bravely exercising its right to self-defence under the UN Charter. Ukraine has defended its sovereign land and it has rejected Russia's vision for a world where states can change borders by force. It has stood up for the principles at the very heart of the UN Charter. The UK's commitment to support Ukraine is ironclad.
I would like to use my remarks today to make three points. First, we must never lose sight of the terrible human cost of the war in Ukraine, Putin's war of choice. Just a few weeks ago, we met after a Russian missile reduced a children's hospital in Kyiv to rubble. This was the latest example of the horrific attacks against Ukrainian cities and civilian infrastructure, which have resulted in over 34 thousand civilians confirmed killed and injured since the invasion began, and which have left over 14.6 million Ukrainians in need of humanitarian assistance. The Russian people are also experiencing the terrible consequences of the invasion. Nearly 70,000 Russian soldiers have been killed or wounded in the last 60 days alone, adding to the more than half a million Russian troops killed or wounded since the start of the invasion.
Second, Russia has become increasingly desperate to procure weapons to sustain its attacks on Ukraine. Russia has received hundreds of drones from Iran and significant quantities of weapons from the DPRK. It is absurd, but frankly no longer surprising, that Russia criticises legitimate Western support for Ukraine's self-defence while it procures weapons from the DPRK in flagrant violation of Security Council resolutions that it supported. We reiterate our call on all third parties immediately to cease material support for Russia's war of aggression.
Third, the UK - together with our Allies and partners - will continue to support Ukraine for as long as it takes. At the NATO Summit earlier this month the UK, alongside 22 other countries and the EU, signed up to the Ukraine Compact. This declared our enduring commitment to support Ukraine's self-defence and to deter aggression. Our resolve will not waver.
The UK has committed to sustain current levels of military support to Ukraine for as long as it takes. And we will continue to support Ukraine's fight against Russian aggression until a just and lasting peace is secured, in line with the UN Charter. It is for Ukraine to determine its position in any negotiations. Just as it is for Ukraine to determine its democratic future. Ukraine is a sovereign country making sovereign decisions about the defense of its sovereign land and the sooner Russia understands this, the better.
