Ukraine Crisis: ‘Even Wars Have Rules,’ UN Relief Chief Tells Security Council

Briefing the Security Council, Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs Tom Fletcher called on the international community to step up support and do more to protect civilians under fire.

In recent weeks, continued Russian strikes on cities have seen civilian casualties rise – including children – and damaged critical infrastructure including healthcare facilities, apartments, schools and playgrounds.

Mr. Fletcher noted the strike on Friday in the densely populated city of Kryvyi Rih in the Dnipro region, in which at least nine children were killed, according to Ukrainian authorities.

“This brutal pattern of civilian death and destruction in populated areas must stop,” he said.

He said parties to the conflict must protect civilians and civilian infrastructure as required under international humanitarian law.

“Indiscriminate attacks on them are strictly prohibited: there must be limits to how war is waged.”

Displacement and desperation

The war continues to drive mass displacement, with nearly 3.7 million Ukrainians uprooted from their homes inside the country, and a further seven million now living as refugees.

Civilian casualties and infrastructure damage has also been reported in the Kursk, Belgorod and Bryansk regions of Russia. In addition, humanitarians are unable to reach an estimated 1.5 million civilians in Russian-occupied areas of Donetsk, Kherson, Luhansk and Zaporizhzhia.

“International humanitarian law demands that the parties facilitate the rapid, unimpeded passage of humanitarian relief for civilians in need, wherever they are,” Mr. Fletcher emphasised.

The impact on women has been particularly severe.

Critical aid programmes at risk

There has been a staggering 36 per cent increase in gender-based violence, alongside rising maternal health risks. Alarmingly, nearly half of all births in Ukraine since 2022 have been pre-term, a sign of the immense stress and hardship endured by expecting mothers.

Despite the soaring needs, the $2.6 billion UN-led humanitarian response plan in Ukraine has received only about 17 per cent of funds needed.

Mr. Fletcher warned that without additional financial support, critical aid programmes will be scaled back, leaving millions without food, healthcare or shelter.

In response to funding shortfalls, humanitarians are prioritising four key areas: supporting frontline communities, emergency response, facilitating evacuations, and assisting the displaced.

Mr. Fletcher stressed the need for increased financial support to ensure humanitarian operations can continue reaching those most in need.

“If you cannot stop the attacks on civilians – in Ukraine and elsewhere – at least give us the security we need and resources to save as many survivors as we can,” he urged.

Ukraine ‘undermining’ US-Russia dialogue: Nebenzia

Russian Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia said that Ukrainian media continue to portray his country as deliberately attempting to undermine peace efforts.

“It is clear that in these attempts, the goal is to undermine American-Russian dialogue and torpedo the potential agreements that the Kyiv regime will have to accept,” he said, adding that statements from Ukraine are “far removed from reality”.

He stated that Russia is ready for serious and practical dialogue, but “we will not allow anyone to deceive us”.

“We will not allow anyone to use this negotiating process in the interest of strengthening the regime's military potential,” Ambassador Nebenzia said.

US committed to just and lasting peace: Shea

Speaking for the United States, Acting Representative Dorothy Shea, said that her country is committed to achieving a just and lasting peace.

She noted that in bilateral engagements with both Russia and Ukraine, the US has proposed a comprehensive ceasefire.

“To achieve the goal of peace, both Ukraine and Russia must fully implement the ceasefire commitments they have already made in Riyadh,” she added, noting that these initial steps, if fully implemented, will protect lives and improve livelihoods.

Even more importantly, she said, they could offer a basis for expanding a comprehensive ceasefire and negotiation towards a final, durable peace.

“We call on Russia and Ukraine to fulfill their commitments. The world is watching. We call on both sides to exercise restraint and demonstrate their commitment to peace is real.”

Russia must be held accountable: Ukraine

Khrystyna Hayovyshyn, Deputy Permanent Representative of Ukraine to the UN, said that Russia must be held accountable for its invasive actions in her country.

“To end this war, it is necessary to put pressure on them – real pressure – without wasting time on empty talk,” she said.

“A resolute international response to Russian atrocities is crucial. Such terror must never become the norm,” she added.

Ms. Hayovyshyn further stated that Russia must respond to the US proposal for an immediate, interim 30-day full ceasefire – which her country has accepted – and end its war of aggression against Ukraine.

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