Peace talk between Ukraine and Russia: Irina’s Oral Statement

The NCF Research Officer Irina Olegovna Grigoryeva has delivered an oral intervention to the United Nations Human Rights Council 51st session, Item 10. It pointed out the urgent need for a ceasefire agreement between Russia and Ukraine.

Transcript

The next century foundation is deeply concerned by the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine and urge the United Nations and its member states to take immediate action in organizing negotiations and peace talks to ensure an end of this conflict. Since the beginning of the wider conflict on February 24th 2022, thousands of innocent civilians have lost their lives and over 5 million people have fled to neighboring countries in hopes of safety. The longer the conflict continues, the bigger the humanitarian crisis we will face and more innocent lives will be lost. More recently fighting around the Russian held Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant have created circumstances that might result in a nuclear disaster. The situation in Ukraine is worsening. The next century Foundation supports the urgent calls for a ceasefire agreement around and in the Zaporizhzhia region. However, most urgently we call on the United Nations and the international community to increase attempts to promote dialogue between the two nations using negotiations and peace talks. In order to achieve this we urge the United Nations to take a far stronger stance than the half hearted efforts it has engaged in thus far to urging the two parties to start peaceful negotiations which will bring about the end of this conflict using carrots as well as sticks.