Speaking to reporters today (28 Mar) in New York, Guterres also appealed for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire to allow for progress in serious political negotiations to reach a peace agreement based on the principles of the United Nations Charter.

UN Secretary-General António Guterres asked UN humanitarian chief Martin Griffiths to immediately explore the possible agreements and arrangements for a humanitarian ceasefire in Ukraine with the parties involved.

 Guterres highlighted that the UN is doing everything in its power to support people whose lives have been overturned by the war.

In the past month, “beyond their support to refugee-hosting countries, our humanitarian agencies and their partners have reached nearly 900,000 people, mainly in eastern Ukraine, with food, shelter, blankets, medicine, bottled water, and hygiene supplies,” said the Secretary-General.

“There are now more than 1,000 United Nations personnel in the country, working via eight humanitarian hubs in Dnipro, Vinnytsia, Lviv, Uzhorod, Chernivitzi, Mukachevo, Luhansk, and Donetsk,” he said, and added that “our agencies and partners are procuring vital supplies and setting up pipelines for delivery throughout Ukraine in the coming weeks.”

“But let’s be clear,” he warned, “the solution to this humanitarian tragedy is not humanitarian. It is political.”

“I hope a ceasefire will also help to address the global consequences of this war, which risk compounding the deep hunger crisis in many developing countries that already lack fiscal space to invest in their recovery from the pandemic, and now face soaring food and energy costs,” Guterres said.

He concluded, “I strongly appeal to the parties to this conflict, and to the international community as a whole, to work with us for peace in solidarity with the people of Ukraine and across the world.”