New York, May 5 – Antonio Guterres, the UN secretary-general, said he did not mince words when he visited Moscow and told Russian President Vladimir Putin that the invasion of Ukraine violated the UN Charter. Guterres and the UN heads of the Human Rights Council and emergency humanitarian affairs briefed the UN Security Council on recent events in Ukraine.

“Throughout my travels, I did not mince words,” Guterres said. “I said the same thing in Moscow as I did in Kyiv – which is exactly what I have repeatedly expressed in New York.

“Namely that: Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is a violation of its territorial integrity and of the Charter of the United Nations. It must end for the sake of the people of Ukraine, Russia, and the entire world.”

“I visited Moscow and Kyiv with a clear understanding of the realities on the ground.

I entered an active war zone in Ukraine with no immediate possibility of a national ceasefire and a full-scale ongoing attack on the east of the country.”

Guterres met with Putin on April 26 and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Kiyv on April 28 and had discussions over the war in Ukraine with the presidents of Turkey and Poland.

From his discussions Guterres said the UN worked with the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and Russian and Ukrainian authorities to open humanitarian corridors and begin the evacuation of civilians caught for months by the fighting in Mariupol and the Azovstal plant. He reported to the council the evacuation of civilians has achieved “some measure of success.”

“Together, the United Nations and the ICRC are leading a humanitarian operation of great complexity – both politically, and in terms of security,” he said.

He said the Ukraine war has unleashed a food security crisis in the West African nations of Senegal, Niger and Nigeria, where he visited after Moscow and Kiyv and directly heard testimony from leaders and civil society there.

“We need quick and decisive action to ensure a steady flow of food and energy in open markets, by lifting export restrictions, allocating surpluses and reserves to those who need them, and addressing food price increases to calm market volatility,” he said.

 “But let me be clear: a meaningful solution to global food insecurity requires reintegrating Ukraine’s agricultural production and the food and fertilizer production of Russia and Belarus into world markets, despite the war.

“I will do my best to help facilitate a dialogue to help make this a reality,” he said.

Under-Secretary-General and Emergency Relief Coordinator Martin Griffiths told the council that the destruction of civilian infrastructure has come to characterize the Russian war in Ukraine.

“Apartment buildings, schools and hospitals in populated areas have been attacked. They must not be.

Over 13 million Ukrainians have now been forced to flee their homes, of whom 7.7 million are internally displaced. Lives uprooted, ripped apart. Never the same again.”

“The threat of gender-based violence—including conflict-related sexual violence, sexual exploitation and abuse and human trafficking—has risen hugely since the war began. Allegations of sexual violence against women, girls, men and boys are mounting,” Griffiths said.

“Roads are heavily contaminated with explosive ordnance, putting civilians at risk and stopping humanitarian convoys from reaching them,” he said.

Griffiths said the UN now has more than 1,400 staff deployed across Ukraine and operating out of eight hubs beyond Kyiv, with staff, warehouses and supplies in 30 locations. He said the UN teams have reached more than 4.1 million people with some form of assistance across all the country’s 24 oblasts.”

Michelle Bachelet, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, told the council information and  reports received so far showed violations of international humanitarian and human rights law, which called for the need for accountability.

“It pains me to say that all our concerns remain valid, and the situation keeps deteriorating,” she said. “Reports of deadly incidents, such as attacks on hospital No 3 and the drama theatre in Mariupol, on the railway station in Kramatorsk, on residential areas in Odesa, have become shockingly frequent. There seems to be no end in sight to the daily reports of civilian deaths and injuries.”

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