Statement by the Permanent Representative of Brazil to the United Nations, Ambassador Sérgio França Danese, at the UNGA plenary session under item 62 - Situation in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine - September 4th, 2025

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Mr. President,

Excellencies,

We come to this session with a mixture of hope and apprehension. This item has now been on the GA's agenda for over seven years. In this period, we have seen short moments of optimism as well as long periods where we seemed to be going in circles.

This year, it seems like there is cause for guarded optimism that we might finally break this cycle. There have been positive signs in recent months. Brazil welcomes the high level contacts between the US and Russia, which allowed for a substantive discussion on the next steps towards peace in Ukraine. Brazil also welcomes the broad consensus among European leaders that serious efforts must now be made towards achieving peace.

The tone of the discussions seems to have shifted this year, with all parties acknowledging that this conflict cannot be prolonged indefinitely. The humanitarian toll has been far too high, especially in the past three years, and rises with every week in which we do not have a ceasefire in place. This is why Brazil has consistently argued for a ceasefire since the very beginning of this more lethal phase of the conflict, in 2022.

We have also called for serious efforts towards diplomacy and peace, along with the Group of Friends for Peace in Ukraine, established in September of last year. We are encouraged to see that this call, which originally seemed to come loudest from the Global South, has now become mainstream and is echoed among the key players in this file.

Yet we also remain cautious and do not downplay the risks that remain. The conflict remains highly kinetic, with dozens of deaths having been registered just last week. There is a real danger that, in the lead up to negotiations, both sides will attempt to escalate and undertake riskier actions in an effort to strengthen their negotiating positions. We condemn this approach, which leads to further suffering and loss of life, as well as heightens the risk of miscalculations that could end up prolonging this conflict. 

Further, we are deeply cognizant of the fact that negotiating positions remain very distant and there are no quick solutions. We are concerned, in this context, that difficulties in the initial stages of the negotiation could lead to disappointment, which could, in turn, lead to disengagement by key actors, resulting in a frozen or indefinitely prolonged conflict.

We therefore urge all parties to refrain from any escalatory actions and commit to a sustained diplomatic process. Diplomacy is never easy. Yet, even when it is difficult, it is preferable to the continuation of a conflict which has already cost both sides - and the international community - so much. Brazil, through the Group of Friends for Peace, stands ready to support this process and to continue playing a constructive role towards Peace in Ukraine.

I thank you.