Warning the Security CouncilHigh Representative for Disarmament Affairs Izumi Nakamitsu said that since the last briefing on arms transfers just two weeks agothe provision of military assistance and the transfer of arms and ammunition to the Ukrainian Armed Forces continued in the context of the large-scale invasion of Ukraine by Russia, in violation of the UN Charter and of international law.
“Any transfer of arms and ammunition must be in accordance with the applicable international legal framework“Including, of course, the relevant Security Council resolutions, which in certain cases impose sanctions and restrictive measures on such transfers,” she said.
The shipments are said to include heavy conventional weapons such as tanks, armoured vehicles and aircraft, helicopters, large-calibre artillery and rocket systems and unmanned combat aircraft, as well as remotely operated munitions, small arms and light weapons and their ammunition.
She also pointed to reports that states are transferring or planning to transfer weapons such as unmanned aerial vehicles, ballistic missiles and munitions to the Russian armed forces. She indicated that these weapons have been used in Ukraine and are likely to be used in the future.
UN Photo/Eskinder Debebe
Izumi Nakamitsu, High Representative for Disarmament Affairs, informs the Security Council meeting about threats to international peace and security.
States must adhere to global arms treaties
The High Representative expressed his deep concern about the reports regarding the use and transfer of cluster munitions since the beginning of the conflict and the widespread contamination with mines and explosive remnants of war in Ukraine.
She reminded the Council of 15 members of the importance and value of international law in the current challenging security context and called on Member States to abide by the obligations under various disarmament treaties, in particular those on cluster munitionsanti-personnel mines and what is referred to as “certain conventional weapons“is considered arbitrary or excessively harmful, such as booby trapsarmed lasers designed to cause permanent blindness and incendiary weapons.
The universal participation in and full implementation of these treaties must remain a priorityshe said, calling on all States to abide by their obligations under international humanitarian law and to become parties to disarmament treaties as a matter of priority and to comply with the obligations contained therein.
“Compliance with these obligations is critical to prevent unnecessary suffering or harm to persons and to protect civilians,” she said, stressing that importing, transit, producing and exporting states must act responsibly at every step in the arms and ammunition transfer chain to prevent and detect diversion, illicit trafficking and diversion.
Civilian casualties continue to rise
Since Russia’s large-scale invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022, the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) has recorded more than 11,700 civilian deaths and more than 24,600 wounded in Ukraine.
According to the OHCHR, August was the month with the second highest number of civilian casualties in 2024after July, with at least 184 civilian deaths and 856 wounded in Ukraine.
Russia’s use of armed unmanned aerial vehicles and missiles continues to cause civilian casualties and injuries and damage civilian infrastructure in Ukraine, Ms. Nakamitsu said.
In addition, there have also been reports of a number of cross-border missile and unmanned aerial vehicle attacks by Ukraine into Russia, in some cases causing civilian casualties and damage to civilian objects.
“Armed unmanned aerial vehicles and missiles must not be used in a manner contrary to international humanitarian law,” she said.
“All parties to an armed conflict have a duty to protect civilians under international humanitarian law,” she said.
Russia: Ukraine uses chemical weapons
Russian Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia said Ukraine and its Western allies are looking for ways to break the situation on the battlefield, but heavy losses have been reported from weapons already sent to Kiev. In addition, multiple reports indicate that Ukrainian forces are using chemical weapons, he said, adding that Moscow is Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW).
On the possibility of facilitating the import of weapons into Ukraine, he said: “If the decision to lift the restrictions is actually taken, it will mean that NATO countries will from that moment on be at direct war with Russia.”
“In this case, we will have to take the relevant decisions with all the consequences for the Western aggressors,” he said. “We are not talking about a game here. The facts are that NATO will be a direct party in hostilities against a nuclear power.”
UN Photo/Eskinder Debebe
US reports new Iranian missile deliveries
Highlighting new developments, U.S. Ambassador Robert Wood said Iranian personnel had trained Russian military personnel in the use of Iran’s Project 360 short-range ballistic missiles last summer, and that Russia received the first shipment of hundreds of the missiles from Iran in early September.
With a maximum range of 120 kilometers, the missiles allow Russia to retain its longer-range capabilities for use throughout Ukraine, expanding Russia’s arsenals and allowing Russia to destroy more Ukrainian infrastructure before winter, while destabilizing European security.
“There is no legitimate excuse for what Russia is doing in Ukraine“, he said, adding that the US will continue to support Kiev’s ability to defend itself and that “we will not back down.”
UK expresses continued support for Kiev
The UK’s Deputy Permanent Representative, James Kariuki, said that “by calling this meeting today on Western arms supplies to Ukraine, Russia has once again succeeded in drawing our attention to its continued hypocrisy.”
He said that Iranian short-range ballistic missiles “will soon reach European territory” and that Russia continues to purchase significant quantities of weapons from the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, in violation of Council resolutions that “Russia itself voted for”.
Moscow’s war in Ukraine is a “flagrant violation” of international law and the UN Charter, he said, adding that “we will not be deterred from our unwavering support for Ukraine.”
Watch the full Security Council meeting below:
Ukraine asks for long-range missiles
Meanwhile, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and US President Joe Biden will meet in Washington on Friday to discuss the current situation. Earlier in the day, Moscow expelled six British diplomats on charges of espionage, which the British Foreign Office said was a “completely baseless” charge.
According to media reports, the meeting at the White House follows Kiev’s repeated requests to deploy long-range missiles.
The two leaders are expected to accept Ukraine’s request to ease restrictions on the use of weapons supplied by Washington and London.
ICC: ‘Justice must play a central role’
At the same time, International Criminal Court (ICC) Public Prosecutor Karim Khan said justice must play a central role in confronting aggression and countering attempts to exercise unbridled power, he said in a statement issued after his sixth visit to Ukraine since the start of the war.
Referring to Kiev’s recent decision to sign the Rome Statute, which recognizes the ICC, he said: “It is noteworthy that amid bombings and kidnappings, targeting children and deliberately inflicting suffering on civilians, the people and authorities of Ukraine have set an example by turning to the law as their ally..”
“That a state, amid the most intense heat of conflict, is turning increasingly resolutely towards the law is something to be recognized and applauded,” he said.
“We cannot underestimate the significance of this moment. This decision by Ukraine, especially at this moment, strengthens not only the protection that international law can provide to the people of Ukraine, but to all people exposed to aggression, tyranny and cruelty worldwide.”
Hope and ‘a clear warning’
Mr Khan called it a powerful act of unity and solidarity at a time “when many want to drive a wedge between those who believe in the rule of law”.
He sent a message of “hope and a stark warning” and said those who invade Ukraine “must know that we stand united in holding them accountable.”
“If you are an infantryman, if you are guiding a drone to its target, if you are sitting behind a desk planning illegal kidnappings of people, know that The collective efforts shown in recent days will eventually remove any sense of impunity you currently have.“, he said.
“We will not give up our focus, we will increase the intensity of our work, we will deepen our partnerships with all our Ukrainian counterparts until we truly demonstrate the potential of the law at this point.”
