This document summarizes Ukraine's foreign policy positions on issues to be discussed at the UN General Assembly, including promoting international cooperation on combating terrorism, upholding the responsibility to protect civilians, promoting non-proliferation, and condemning Russian aggression. Ukraine expresses support for UN goals but voices concerns about Russian actions in Ukraine and calls for the international community to take action against Russia.

1. This paper is one written last year for a Model UN in World Politics at Malone University. The paper was
written from the perspective of my selected country’s foreign minister. Overall, this paper demonstrates
my ability to do online research on complicated topics such as international foreign policy.
TO: Zachary Obrecht
FROM: Foreign Minister of Ukraine Paul Klimkin
SUBJECT: Policy Positions at United Nations General Assembly
DATE: 18 April 2015
I. Introduction and Summary
The foreign policy of Ukraine foreign policy generally follows the rest of the world.
Their stand on issues such as terrorism, weapons of mass destruction (WMDs), small
arms, and responsibility to protect (R2P) align with the general beliefs of the United
Nations as a whole. Yet their geographic location and history have played a large role in
the foreign policy of Ukraine since they declared independence from Russia in 1991.
Being stuck between Eastern Europe and Western Russia, combined with their previous
ties to the former Soviet Union, their foreign policies have been influenced over the
years by the two powerhouses (Russia and the EU) as have their loyalties. Within the
past couple of years, though, their foreign policy has been affected drastically by
domestic issues. Intertwined with Russia’s hidden interests, Ukraine has been thrown
into a bloody civil war that has torn the country apart and ruptured international
relations. The future of Ukraine’s foreign policy and their views on terrorism, WMDs, and

2. the responsibility to protect will now depend on the outcome of the civil war and which
party—Russia or the EU—the winning side turns to.
II. Promoting Cooperation on Terrorism through Coalitions
Despite the domestic issues splitting our nation in two, Ukraine will always
remain loyal to the UN as a whole. It is our belief that the major issues in the world
cannot be solved alone but will require a coalition between every nation who values
human life. Today, the threat of terrorism is realer than ever before; and we express our
firm condemnation of all acts of terror and believe it is one of the most serious threats to
international peace and security in existence.
For years now we have watched as other nations such as the United States of
America and France have suffered from terror attacks but we have never come under a
serious attack ourselves. That is, until recently. As you all know, the crisis within
Ukraine has transformed into an unquenchable fire claiming more than 6,000 lives since
its start. This war has turned into nothing but acts of terror from the pro-Russian troops
against innocent civilians.
Furthermore, we would like to express our concern about the Russian Federation
to the East. Their annexation of Crimea one year ago and continued support of the
violent separationists in Eastern Ukraine has our nation’s government on edge. We do
not know Russia’s motives for their actions, but we do know two very distinct facts. Not
only are their actions in direct violation of the responsibility to protect, but are also acts
of terrorism. On behalf of the entire Ukraine delegation I repeat, Russia’s actions in

3. Crimea and their support of the separationists in Eastern Ukraine are deliberate acts of
terrorism and the support of it.
It is because of this that our nation would like to reiterate our condemnation of all
acts of terrorism and call upon the UN to label the Russian Federation as a state
sponsor of terrorism. The crimes against humanity committed by these acts will not
simply go away by us doing nothing. Instead, we believe the evil that lurks in this world
can only be thwarted by the decisiveness of the UN and the actions we take as an
international community.
III. Promoting the Accepted Uses of Responsibility to Protect and Humanitarian
Efforts through Coalitions
Ukraine would further like to continue to express our support for humanitarian
acts throughout the world as well as the role responsibility to protect has. It is our firm
belief that both of these policies are meant to bring the world closer together and out of
poverty. With this in mind, we would like to bring your attention to the dire situation in
Syria. There is absolutely no justification for the bloodshed of the civilian population.
Already, the conflict in Syria has claimed more than 235,000 lives and displaced more
12 million Syrians from their homes.
According to Pillar III of the responsibility to protect, “the international community
has a responsibility to use appropriate diplomatic, humanitarian and other means to
protect populations from genocide, war crimes, crimes against humanity and ethnic
cleansing, and their incitement” (United Nations). If a State is manifestly failing to
protect its populations, the international community must be prepared to take collective

4. action to protect populations. Ukraine argues that the situation in Syria has already
exceeded the point where, according to the responsibility to protect, the international
community should have stepped in. We hence urge the UN to step up in order to
alleviate the pain and suffering occurring within the nation of Syria.
The situation in Syria is one which we believe falls within the guidelines for what
responsibility to protect is meant to be: “a situation in which the international community,
and all states concerned, assist a State in fulfilling its responsibility to protect and it fully
excludes any possibility of covert usage of military factor by one State against another
State to serve as a front for protection of population from the pretended threats with the
aim to annex foreign territories” (Ukraine). With that in mind, we would like to bring your
attention to the circumstances in Crimea. A year ago, The Russian Federation wrongly
used the principle of responsibility to protect in order to justify their annexation of
Crimea to protect the Russian-speaking population. Furthermore, their action is in direct
violation of the Budapest Memorandum which states that Russia, the United Kingdom,
and the United States would never threaten or use force against the territorial integrity
or political independence of Ukraine. We would like to point out that we have upheld our
end of the agreement by signing the NPT and removing all Soviet-era nuclear weapons
from our territory. This type of aggressive action should not be tolerated or justified by
international law in any circumstances.
We would like to stress and remind the UN that the responsibility to protect is
meant to reinforce, not undermine a state’s sovereignty. The principle was not designed
to create a hierarchical structure in which the international community imposes

5. demands or solutions on States, or to provide states with a way to use military action
against another state.
IV. Promoting Non-Proliferation and the Arms Trade Treaty through Coalitions
Ukraine believes that the use of nuclear weapons is the greatest threat mankind
faces today. We consider the issue of disarmament to be critical to global peace,
security, and development and, therefore, push the international community towards
complete disarmament. Since signing the NPT in 1994 our country has worked to
remove all deposits of enriched uranium from our national stockpile. We strongly
support and encourage the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty with a view that
implementing it into force will result in a leap towards attaining a world free of nuclear
weapons. We would also like to extend our support to the IAEA safeguards system.
However, we are once again concerned with the recent actions of the Russian
Federation. Under provisions of Article 5 of the agreement signed on May 28, 1997, “the
Russian Federation is obliged not to have nuclear weapons in formation of the Black
Sea Fleet of the Russian Federation, which is stationed on the territory of Ukraine”
(“Preparatory Committee”). The international community cannot ignore the Russian
Federation’s movement of nuclear forces on the territory of the Autonomous Republic of
Crimea; which, despite the events in 2014, is still a part of Ukraine. With that in mind,
we would like to continue to insist that legally-binding security provisions will be put into
place for non-nuclear states in the event of a nuclear attack on such state. It is our hope
that these challenges will be addressed by the international community and taken care
of promptly.

6. Ukraine would also like to express its support for the Arms Trade Treaty. It is our
firm belief that the Arms Trade Treaty is necessary in order to limit the amount of
violence in situations such as Syria, Yemen, or even in our own nation. In addition, the
decrease in the illicit trade of firearms will allow for a better implication of the
Sustainable Development Goals in regions devastated by conflict like those mentioned
above. However, we push for the international community to push the Arms Treaty more
and enforce it. While in some nations it would not be justifiable to ratify it due to
constitutional reasons, we would still like to see the enforcement of this treaty in heavily
conflicted areas such as the Middle East. Implementing it in regions like those will be
beneficial to not only the citizens but also the world. Furthermore, Ukraine calls upon
the UN to help enforce the treaty in states that cannot it enforce it on their own.
V. Conclusion
In conclusion, Ukraine continues to support the actions of the UN as a whole. We
believe that the issues of terrorism, WMDs, small arms, and responsibility to protect
have greatly affected the world today and we will strive to achieve the goals set by the
UN to eradicate and support such issues, respectfully. Moreover, Ukraine would like to
once again stress our concerns about the Russian Federation and their aggressive and
intolerable actions. We urge the international community to investigate the claims laid
out today and take action upon the Russian Federation if found guilty of violating
multiple treaties and sponsoring terrorism. Until then, Ukraine will continue to maintain
loyalty to the treaties we have signed in the past and those we will sign in the future.
Thank you.

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