On the evening of June 20, an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council was held, convened at the request of Ukraine following Russia’s latest massive attack on the night of June 17.
UN Security Council meeting on June 20: what is known
During the meeting, UN Assistant Secretary-General Miroslav Jenči spoke about the situation in Ukraine, noting that over the past three weeks, fighting has intensified and spread to new regions, as a result of which more and more people are forced to leave their homes.
“We have witnessed Russia’s relentless, large-scale air attacks on Ukrainian cities and towns, which have resulted in a significant increase in the number of civilian casualties,” he said.
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And he recalled that on the night of June 16-17, Russian drones and missiles struck Kyiv. As a result, 28 civilians were killed and more than 130 were injured.
Also, according to him, that night strikes were carried out in the Odessa, Zaporizhia, Chernihiv, Zhitomir, Kirovograd, Nikolaev and Kyiv regions.
“This scale of death and destruction threatens hopes for an immediate ceasefire and undermines prospects for sustainable peace,” Yenci said.
And he cited the latest UN data on the number of victims of Russia’s full-scale invasion: at least 13,438 civilians have been killed, including 713 children.
In conclusion, he noted that “the UN position remains principled – in support of a just and sustainable peace in accordance with the UN Charter, international law, relevant resolutions and with respect for the independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine within its internationally recognized borders.”
Yenchi recalled that the Secretary General called for a complete, immediate and unconditional ceasefire as an important first step towards these goals.
“We must redouble our efforts so that the diplomatic process not only continues, but also becomes irreversible. The UN is ready to support all meaningful efforts along this path,” the assistant to the Secretary-General summed up.
