UN Secretary-General António Guterres has written separate letters to the leaders of Russia and Ukraine to request meetings with them in their respective capitals.
UN Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric says Mr. Guterres has asked President Vladimir Putin to receive him in Moscow and President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to receive him in Kyiv.
“The Secretary-General said, at this time of great peril and consequence, he would like to discuss urgent steps to bring about peace in Ukraine and the future of multilateralism based on the Charter of the United Nations and international law,” said Mr. Dujarric.
Humanitarian pause
The announcement came after the UN chief called for a humanitarian pause in Ukraine ahead of Orthodox Christian Easter this weekend. The four-day pause would allow for safe passage of civilians willing to leave conflict areas, he said, and the safe delivery of urgent humanitarian aid to people in the hardest hit areas of Mariupol, Kherson, Donetsk and Luhansk.
The UN Crisis Coordinator for Ukraine, Amin Awad, has underlined the Secretary-General’s appeal amid the mounting humanitarian crisis in the country and the intensifying Russian offensive in the east.
“During this week – which marks a rare calendar alignment of the three of the most sacred religious holidays of Christian Orthodox Easter, Jewish Passover and the Muslim holy month of Ramadan – it is the time to focus on converging interests and set aside our differences,” said Mr. Awad.
