United Nations (TDI): Pakistan has called for an early end to Ukraine war, as the third anniversary of the Russian military intervention in the Eastern European country approaches.
“We are holding this meeting at a critical juncture,” Ambassador Usman Jadoon, Pakistan’s Deputy Permanent Representative to the UN, told the 15-member UNSC on Thursday.
He stated that next month would mark three years since the war in Ukraine began, with the ongoing situation remaining a “serious concern”, in particular due to the disproportionate impact it has had on civilian lives.
“Equally disturbing and deplorable is the significant material damage and loss of civilian infrastructure,” Ambassador Jadoon said.
Ambassador Jadoon warned that further escalation would only exacerbate the current crisis.
“We need an early cessation of hostilities and a solution that brings enduring and lasting peace,” he said.
“My delegation would like to highlight the need for giving primacy to dialogue and diplomacy rather than further fueling and escalating the war,” the Pakistani envoy said, adding that the solution lay in dialogue and discussions— not on the battlefield.
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Ambassador Jadoon reaffirmed, “Pakistan is ready to play a constructive role in supporting diplomatic efforts to end the war, in line with international law and the UN Charter,” Ambassador Jadoon stated.
No Respite in Ukraine War
In a briefing to the Security Council, the UN Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs, Rosemary DiCarlo, stated that the recent holiday and New Year season brought no respite in Ukraine, but rather an escalation and even expansion of hostilities, consistent with developments in 2024.
“Most disturbingly, we witnessed an alarming rise in the toll of civilian casualties last year,” DiCarlo said.
She said the total number of civilians killed and wounded last year was 30% higher than in 2023, citing figures from the UN human rights office, OHCHR.
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Under-Secretary-General DiCarlo also said, “Hostilities in the last two weeks have forced new displacements, with over 1,600 people, including children, fleeing frontline areas, primarily in the Donetsk and Kharkiv regions, according to local authorities.”
