NEW YORK.-UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs Tom Fletcher said that 13 million people in Ukraine are in urgent need of humanitarian assistance. While informing the Security Council about the situation of Ukrainians, the United Nations relief chief called on the international community to help and support them. He stressed the need for the warring parties to protect civilians in accordance with international law.
According to him, about 3.7 million Ukrainians have been displaced due to the Russia-Ukraine war, and 7 million are currently living as refugees. Likewise, humanitarian aid workers have said that they are unable to reach the estimated 1.5 million citizens of Donetsk, Kherson, Luhansk and Zaporizhzhia, which are occupied by Russia.
Despite the growing needs, the $2.6 billion UN-led humanitarian response plan in Ukraine has received only 17 percent of the required funding. Russian Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia said Ukrainian media are portraying his country as a country deliberately undermining peace efforts.
At the same time, the permanent representative of Ukraine to the United Nations, Kristina Hyovyshyn, said that Russia should be held accountable for the aggressive actions that have taken place in her country. She also said that real pressure is needed to end the war, not just discussions. Hyovyshin said that Russia should immediately respond to the US proposal for a 30-day interim ceasefire and end its aggressive war against Ukraine.
Acting Representative Dorothy Shea, representing the United States of America, said her country was committed to achieving a just and lasting peace. She noted that the US has proposed a complete ceasefire in its bilateral engagement with Russia and Ukraine.
In order to maintain peace, the ceasefire commitments already made by Ukraine and Russia should be fully implemented. Agency