Russia rejected calls for a ceasefire to allow the evacuation of civilians in Ukraine on Tuesday, saying the request for a halt to hostilities was insincere and would only provide time to equip the fighters. of Ukraine.
The refusal, made at the United Nations Security Council meeting on Ukraine, came just hours after the United Nations Secretary-General, António Guterres, called for a four-day ceasefire to allow evacuations. in war zones and safe corridors to bring in food and medicine.
Civilians, including children, remain trapped in the Donbas region of eastern Ukraine, where Russia has begun a new and fiercer offensive, as well as in the devastated port city of Mariupol, where forces Ukraine’s defenses are standing last from the bunkers of a steel complex.
Dmitry Polyanskiy, Russia’s deputy UN ambassador, told the Security Council that calls for his country to establish humanitarian ceasefires were “insincere and, in fact, they were only directed at The hope is to give Kyiv nationalists breathing space to regroup and receive more drones, more anti-tank missiles and other MANPADS. ” He was referring to mobile air defense systems, which are essentially highly maneuverable surface-to-air missiles.
Earlier, Mr. Guterres said that more than 12 million Ukrainians currently need humanitarian assistance but this number is expected to rise to 15.7 million, or about 40% of the total number of Ukrainians remaining in the country. Millions of people have fled abroad, and many more are internally displaced.
Even China, which has not condemned Russia and abstained from resolutions against it, said it supported a humanitarian ceasefire and called on Russia and Ukraine to move towards that goal.
The actual gap between Russia and the majority of Security Council members and UN officials remains visible. Two UN officials and diplomats representing Eastern European countries that host millions of Ukrainian refugees have posed challenges to the situation, which Russia denies, saying Ukraine has been plagued by migration. citizens of this country for many years.
Several statements from UN officials and diplomats on Tuesday voiced growing frustration at their inability to broker a ceasefire, broker a peace deal or convince Russia stop the aggression.
“Colleagues, these meetings do not appear to have much impact on the security situation on the front lines or on the humanitarian situation in Ukraine,” said Ukraine’s ambassador, Sergiy Kyslytsya.
Russia, as a permanent member of the Security Council, has veto power and has twice used it on resolutions focusing on Ukraine since Russia invaded in February. But even diplomatic efforts led by the UN’s top humanitarian chief, Martin Griffiths, who traveled to Russia and Ukraine last week, failed.
“So while we will continue our work to deliver aid, we also need this council to do its job,” said Kelly Clements, deputy high commissioner for the UN refugee agency. “We therefore urge all of you on this council once again – and yes, we are aware of the deep divisions – to put aside your differences and find a way to end this terrible war and this nonsense.”
