Dear representatives of Lao mass media!
It is almost 100 days already since Russia started its unprovoked and unjustified military aggression against Ukraine. 100 days of horror, atrocities and war crimes, and it isn’t stopped yet.
The battle against evil continues. Our defenders heroically repulse attacks of enemy.
The situation in Donbas is very difficult. The occupiers are trying to achieve in at least a hundred days of war the goals they hoped to achieve in the first days after February 24. Therefore, they concentrated maximum artillery, maximum reserves in Donbas.
There are no signs that Russia is ready to end the war: to the contrary, it is preparing for a long-term military attack.
Unfortunately, there are many victims of the russia’s imposed war, especially among civilians and that number is growing.
As of 27th of May 2022, the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights recorded 8766 civilian casualties in Ukraine: 4031 killed and 4735 injured. 242 children killed.
Most of the civilian casualties recorded were caused by the use of explosive weapons with a wide impact area, including shelling from heavy artillery and multiple launch rocket systems, and missile and air strikes.
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights believes that the actual figures are considerably higher, as the receipt of information from some locations where intense hostilities have been going on has been delayed and many reports are still pending.
Russian attacks killed 10 doctors and damaged about 500 hospitals, 40 of which were destroyed completely and cannot be rebuilt. International humanitarian law prohibits attacks on medical personnel and facilities during the armed conflicts.
Russia organizes cyber-attacks against the objects of critical infrastructure of Ukraine through the specialized hacker groups. The international partners of Ukraine strongly condemn them and join efforts to effectively counter Russian criminal activities in global cyberspace;
Russia has sent virtually all its resources to destroy us. In the Russian regions, it is openly said that their so-called "special operation" is the cause of the economic downturn - in particular, in the industries such as construction and many others. And also the reason for the impoverishment of people, which may be even greater than in the 1990s.
Rising prices, devaluation of income, destruction of all the economic potential that has been created in Russia since the 2000s - all this does not stop the invaders yet. But the colossal costs of the war still do not help them. And will not help.
The situation in Donbas is extremely difficult. As in previous days, the Russian army is trying to attack Sloviansk and Sievierodonetsk. The border areas of the Chernihiv and Sumy regions are regularly shelled from the territory of Russia.
The Armed Forces of Ukraine are deterring this offensive. Every day that our defenders take away from these offensive plans of Russia, disrupting them, is a concrete contribution to the approach of the main day. The desired day that we are all looking forward to and fighting for. It's a Victory Day.
And no Russian strikes - neither by missiles in the Rivne region, nor by artillery in the Kharkiv or Sumy region, nor by all possible weapons in Donbas - will give Russia any result.
Ukraine, with the support of our partners, will fight as long as it is necessary to win. Ukraine’s victory would mean restoring our sovereignty and territorial integrity within the internationally recognized borders: this approach is shared by our partners.
It is very important thing that Russia should be brought to justice.
The international community have already appealed to the International Criminal Court in The Hague to launch an investigation.
Ukrainian law enforcement agencies launched investigations into 13.000 war crimes and crimes of aggression committed since 24 February 2022.
The unprecedented sanctions are of particular importance, isolating russia's economy and severely undermining its economic and financial capacities to continue aggression. Atrocities, which continue to be committed by russia in Ukraine, confirm that sanctions must be further strengthened and expanded.
The Government of Ukraine has adopted the decision to confiscate all Russia’s assets in the territory of Ukraine in favour of the Ukrainian state.
We call on upon the Government of Lao PDR to identify the Russian and former Soviet Union assets and to inform the Ukrainian Side properly. We would expect the Russian assets to be frozen, until judgement of international community.
We urge our partner countries to legally recognize that Russia must be held financially responsible for the crimes it committed. This is important not only in the context of this war waged by Russia. But also in terms of any other aggressive actions, whether by Russia or any other potential aggressor. Evil must get a retribution and know that it will be punished.
The world has seen that existing international organizations and instruments cannot cope with all the challenges. It is necessary not only to use the opportunities that already exist, but also to offer new ones.
Therefore, we invite the partner countries to sign a multilateral agreement and create a mechanism through which each and every one who has suffered from Russia's actions will be able to receive compensation for all losses.
Under such an agreement, Russian funds and property under the jurisdiction of partner countries must be seized or frozen, and then confiscated and directed to a specially created fund from which all victims of Russian aggression can receive appropriate compensation.
That would be fair. And Russia will feel the true weight of every missile, every bomb, every projectile it has fired at us.
We invite our partners to become the founders of such a fund, as well as members of a special international commission that will consider lawsuits, i.e. appeals from both individuals and legal entities.
This task will not be easy. But in fact, the debate has begun about the need for such compensation at the cost of russian assets.
The world is already talking about it. So, we have to do it. And we are starting such a special dialogue with our partners. To make the aggressor feel that the war is capable of inflicting maximum damage not on anyone else, but on the one who went with it to a neighbor.
On a related note, I would like to draw the attention of people of Laos to essential negative economic consequences for global and Lao economy in view of the ongoing russia’s aggression against Ukraine. The war in Europe has already affected about 25% of the world cereal trade and has caused an increase in world prices, food inflation and reduced access to food in the countries importing food from Ukraine.
Russia’s war against Ukraine is a threat to global food security: about 90 mln tons of agricultural produce remain blocked in Ukraine. If Ukrainian ports do not resume export, this will cause a large-scale humanitarian crisis in the world: 400 mln lives are at risk of unstable access to food, malnutrition and famine. Imports of Ukrainian poultry meat, wheat, sunflower oil and other products to Laos are almost stopped. It takes place because of Russia’s war and blockade of Ukrainian ports.
I would reiterate that Ukraine will be very thankful to the Government of Lao PDR to join the efforts of international community to support Ukraine.
We are still waiting for humanitarian response of the Lao PDR Government.
We call upon the People of Laos to continue donations for peace.
Stand with Ukraine!
I