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Ukraine

HAS NOT ENDORSED THE POLITICAL DECLARATION

Ukraine has not yet endorsed the Political Declaration on the use of explosive weapons in populated areas. It participated in the negotiations towards a Political Declaration: at the fourth round of consultations in April 2022, Ukraine condemned the use of explosive weapons in populated areas by Russia against Ukraine and suggested adding in the declaration language from the resolution adopted by the UN General Assembly condemning Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. 1

Statements and positions

Ukraine has spoken on explosive weapons in populated areas in multilateral forums, often referencing its own experience. During the 2022 UN General Assembly First Committee, Ukraine referenced the harmful use of explosive weapons in populated areas,2 and in 20233 and 20244 highlighted the humanitarian consequences of explosive weapon use by Russian forces in Ukraine. At the 2025 UN Security Council open debate on the protection of civilians in conflict, Ukraine cited the devastating impact of Russia’s “ballistic missile and drone attacks on Ukrainian cities”, noting the toll of these and aerial bombs on civilians, infrastructure, journalists, and humanitarian and UN personnel. 5 During the January 2016 Security Council open debate on the protection of civilians, Ukraine expressed concern about the humanitarian impact of the use of explosive weapons in populated areas and called for stricter norms to protect civilians.” 6

Alongside its individual statements, Ukraine has on several occasions aligned with other states to deliver statements on explosive weapons in populated areas. In 2018 and 2019, Ukraine joined some 50 and 71 states respectively to endorse joint statements on the use of explosive weapons in populated areas at the UN General Assembly First Committee, calling attention to the devastating and long-lasting humanitarian impact of the use of explosive weapons in populated areas and urging states to reverse the trend of high levels of civilian harm. 7 As a member of the Group of Friends on Protection of Civilians, Ukraine has supported statements at the UN Security Council stressing the importance of respecting IHL and the need to enhance the protection of civilians from the effects of explosive weapons in populated areas. 8 In 2024, the Group highlighted the harm caused by explosive weapons in populated areas across ongoing conflicts, and stressed that “the effective protection of civilians and civilian objects must be made a strategic priority in the planning and conduct of military operations.” To that end, the Political Declaration was identified as providing “practical tools that ensure that protection is real and effective”, a sentiment the Group echoed at the 2025 debate where it flagged the Political Declaration as a tool that “plays a critical role in the protection of civilians” and encouraged states to consider endorsing. 9

As a Candidate Country to the European Union (EU), Ukraine has also aligned with EU statements condemning the use of explosive weapons in populated areas and the harms it causes to civilians and civilian objects, as well as calling for greater IHL compliance and welcoming the Political Declaration. This includes at several UN Security Council open debates on the protection of civilians in armed conflict, including in 2024 when it expressed deep concern about the use and humanitarian consequences of explosive weapons in populated areas “which has significant civilian impact and should thus be restricted and avoided”10 as well as at the 2022 UN Security Council open debate on war in cities where the EU expressed concern over the indiscriminate use of explosive weapons in populated areas, including near hospitals, schools, and universities 11 At the UN General Assembly in 2025 Ukraine aligned with the EU statement, which recalled the Political Declaration and its “aim to reduce harm and strengthen the protection of civilians” and noted the Costa Rica conference offered an opportunity to “translate the Declaration into concrete measures on the ground”. 12 At First Committee in 2023 the EU welcomed the Political Declaration and highlighted the importance of its adoption as well as the work ahead for implementing the Declaration’s commitments, including at the 2024 Oslo Conference. 13

  1. ​Irish Department of Foreign Affairs. ‘Explosive Weapons in Populated Areas – Political Declaration Consultations, Day 1 Afternoon’. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iPllKWRMlNg.​

  1. Young, K. 2022. ‘First Committee Monitor, Vol.20, No.2’. Reaching Critical Will. 8 October 2022. https://reachingcriticalwill.org/images/documents/Disarmament-fora/1com/FCM22/FCM-2022-No2.pdf.  

  1. Young, K. 2023. ‘First Committee Monitor, Vol.21, No.5’. Reaching Critical Will. 4 November 2023. https://reachingcriticalwill.org/images/documents/Disarmament-fora/1com/FCM23/FCM-2023-No5.pdf.   

  1. UN Security Council (2024), ‘S/PV.9632 (Resumption 2)’, https://documents.un.org/doc/undoc/pro/n24/142/87/pdf/n2414287.pdf.  

  1. United Nations Security Council. S/PV.9921 (Resumption 1) 22 May 2025. https://docs.un.org/en/S/PV.9921%20(Resumption%201).

  2. UN Security Council (2016). ‘UN Security Council Open Debate on the Protection of Civilians in Armed Conflict Meeting Transcript’. https://undocs.org/en/S/PV.7606.   

  1. ‘UNGA73 First Committee Joint Statement on Explosive Weapons in Populated Areas (explosive weapons in populated areas)’. Permanent Mission of Ireland to the United Nations. 25 October 2018. https://reachingcriticalwill.org/images/documents/Disarmament-fora/1com/1com18/statements/25Oct_explosive weapons in populated areas.pdf; ‘UNGA74 First Committee Joint Statement on Explosive Weapons in Populated Areas’. Permanent Mission of Ireland to the United Nations. 24 October 2019.https://article36.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/UNGA74-joint-statement-on-explosive-weapons-in-populated-areas.pdf; ‘Seventy-one States call for Action on Impact of Explosive Weapons in Joint Statement to UN General Assembly’. International Network on Explosive Weapons. October 2019. https://www.inew.org/seventy-one-states-call-for-action-on-impact-of-explosive-weapons-in-joint-statement-to-un-general-assembly/.

  2. ‘Statement on Conventional Weapons’. European Union. October 2023. https://reachingcriticalwill.org/images/documents/Disarmament-fora/1com/1com23/statements/23Oct_EU.pdf.

  3. United Nations Security Council. S/PV.9042. 25 May 2022.  
    https://undocs.org/en/S/PV.9042.

  4. ‘EU Statement - UN Security Council: Protection of Civilians’. 21 May 2024. https://www.eeas.europa.eu/delegations/un-new-york/eu-statement-%E2%80%93-un-security-council-protection-civilians_en?s=63.

  5. ‘EU statement – UN Security Council: War in Cities’. 25 January 2022. https://www.eeas.europa.eu/delegations/un-new-york/eu-statement-%E2%80%93-un-security-council-war-cities_en.

  6. ‘EU Statement to the UN General Assembly 80th Session First Committee Thematic Discussion on Conventional Weapons’. Permanent Mission of the European Union to the United Nations. 23 October 2025. https://reachingcriticalwill.org/images/documents/Disarmament-fora/1com/1com25/statements/23Oct_EU.pdf.

  7. ‘Statement on Conventional Weapons’. European Union. 23 October 2023. https://reachingcriticalwill.org/images/documents/Disarmament-fora/1com/1com23/statements/23Oct_EU.pdf. 

Other State Positions