UN Secretary-General Calls for Four-Day Ceasefire in Ukraine War

Ant?nio Guterres, United Nations Secretary-General
[Photo by EPA Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Cho Hyun-ui] United Nations Secretary-General Ant?nio Guterres has called for a four-day ceasefire in the Ukraine war to mark the Orthodox Easter.

On the 19th (local time), Secretary-General Guterres said, "Please stop fighting for four days starting from the 21st to allow the evacuation of civilians and delivery of relief supplies within Ukraine."

The UN plans to assist civilian escapes from conflict zones during this period and dispatch humanitarian aid teams to severely affected areas such as Mariupol.

Secretary-General Guterres stated, "More than 12 million people in Ukraine need humanitarian aid," adding, "There is a severe shortage of food, water, medical supplies, and daily necessities."

He also warned about the large-scale attacks launched by Russian forces in eastern Ukraine, saying, "The civilian attacks and casualties we have seen so far may be minor compared to the horrors that lie ahead."

However, Martin Griffiths, UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, who recently visited Ukraine and Russia under Guterres' directive, said on the same day, "A ceasefire does not seem likely immediately, but it could be possible within a few weeks."

Griffiths added, "What is certain is that Russia is not yet prepared for a humanitarian ceasefire," and "Russian authorities are not prioritizing a partial ceasefire on their agenda."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.