Ukraine Crisis: On Monday, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres stated that he has been in “extremely close touch” with India, as well as other nations such as Turkey, China, and Israel, about mediation efforts aimed at ending the conflict in Ukraine. On February 24, Russian President Vladimir Putin started a military strike against Ukraine.
“I’ve been in close communication with numerous countries who have been speaking with the parties at the highest levels to examine the various sorts of mediation that could lead to a political solution for the Ukraine Crisis. I’ve maintained tight ties with our Turkish allies, as well as Qatar, Israel, India, China, France, and Germany. And it is my conviction that all of these efforts are necessary in order to create the conditions that will allow this war to be finally ended,” Mr. Guterres told reporters in New York.
“I hope so,” Mr. Guterres answered when asked if all of those countries are behind him.
Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla met with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres last week at the UN headquarters to discuss the situations in Ukraine, Afghanistan, and Myanmar.
UN Chief asking for a political solution for the Ukraine Crisis
Mr. Shringla’s discussion with Mr. Guterres lasted nearly an hour, according to sources, and the two discussed Ukraine. Mr. Guterres is said to have said that a country like India has a very important role to play because it is one of the few countries that commands universal respect and has been able to reach out to both sides over the current situation, which requires countries and leaders who can help resolve the issue.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke on the phone with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, calling for an immediate end (The Ukraine Crisis) to the bloodshed and concerted efforts from all parties to return to diplomatic engagement and dialogue.
Mr. Guterres has previously stated that he had been in regular contact with a number of nations on mediation attempts to “put an end to this war,” including China, France, Germany, India, Israel, and Turkey. Mr. Guterres announced that, as a result of his good offices, he has asked Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator Martin Griffiths to “immediately” explore possible agreements and arrangements for a humanitarian ceasefire in Ukraine with the parties involved.
“Since the Russian invasion began a month ago, the war has resulted in the senseless deaths of thousands of people; the displacement of 10 million people, primarily women and children; the methodical destruction of key infrastructure; and spiking food and energy costs around the world. Mr. Guterres stated, “This has to stop.”
Ukraine Crisis is a humanitarian disaster
The UN chief, asserting that the solution to the humanitarian disaster (referring to the Ukraine Crisis) caused by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is not humanitarian, but political, called for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire to allow serious political negotiations to progress toward a peace agreement based on the United Nations Charter’s principles.
“A suspension of hostilities will allow for the delivery of critical humanitarian aid and the safe movement of civilians.” He claims that it will “save lives, prevent suffering, and protect people.”
Mr. Guterres expressed hope that a ceasefire (end of the Ukraine Crisis) would also aid in addressing the war’s global consequences, which risk exacerbating the deep hunger crisis in many developing countries, which already lack fiscal space to invest in their recovery from the pandemic and are now facing soaring food and energy costs.
In the last month, UN humanitarian organizations and their partners have provided food, housing, blankets, medicine, bottled water, and hygiene supplies to almost 9,00,000 persons, mostly in eastern Ukraine.
UN working in the Ukraine Crisis
United Nations is actively working for the people suffering due to the Ukraine Crisis. According to him, the UN now has over 1,000 workers in Ukraine, operating through eight humanitarian hubs in Dnipro, Vinnytsia, Lviv, Uzhorod, Chernivitzi, Mukachevo, Luhansk, and Donetsk.
In the last month, the World Food Programme and its partners reached 8,00,000 people, with plans to reach 1.2 million by mid-April. With emergency health, trauma, and surgery kits, the World Health Organization and partners have reached more than half a million individuals in the most vulnerable locations.
Griffiths, who is presently in Kabul, will “immediately start” his peace endeavor, Guterres said in response to a query.
Mr. Guterres expressed the hope that Mr. Griffiths would be able to travel to both Moscow and Kyiv as soon as feasible. “It’s critical to start a real conversation with both parties about the prospect of a humanitarian ceasefire.”
Mr. Griffiths began his tour to Afghanistan on Monday at the Indira Gandhi Children’s Hospital in Kabul, according to a tweet. “It’s difficult for me to express how moved I was by the suffering of the babies I met. Two tiny, listless babies, suffering from acute malnutrition, are crammed into an incubator.
“A mother, who has previously lost two children, is caring for her critically starved infant.” Three newborns have already died today, according to the hospital personnel. They require our assistance.”