Russian Federation’s ‘War of Choice’ on Ukraine Undermines United Nations Charter, Under-Secretary-General Tells Security Council, Calling for Ceasefire
‘Not a Single Day Has Passed without Civilians Being Killed, Injured in Attacks’, Notes Senior Humanitarian Affairs Official
Warning the Security Council today that the Russian Federation’s three-year “war of choice” continues to kill and injure Ukrainian civilians, a senior United Nations official called for a full, immediate and unconditional ceasefire despite offers of temporary truces.
Rosemary DiCarlo, United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs, noted the war stands as an egregious challenge to the Charter of the United Nations and international law — and a ceasefire and peace must “fully respects Ukraine’s independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity within its internationally recognized borders”.
The war has reached a “potential inflection point”, she said, pointing to “a glimmer of hope for progress towards a ceasefire and an eventual peaceful settlement”. However, relentless attacks continue on Ukraine’s cities and towns, killing and injuring many civilians and causing widespread destruction in residential areas and of civilian infrastructure. On the night of 23-24 April, Russian Federation forces launched one of their most devastating assaults, a massive, combined missile and drone attack targeting multiple regions of Ukraine — killing at least 12 people in Kyiv.
She noted that as of 24 April, the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) had verified 151 civilians killed and 697 injured so far in April. Since February 2022, OHCHR has verified 13,015 civilians, including 699 children, killed, and 31,628 more civilians, including 2,016 children, injured, in Ukraine. Also noting recent media reports indicating civilian casualties in Russian Federation regions, she condemned “all attacks against civilians and civilian infrastructure, wherever they occur”. Welcoming diplomatic efforts, she pointed to a 28 April announcement by Moscow of a 72-hour truce for 8 to 10 May, following its announcement on 19 April of a 30-hour Easter truce, noting Ukrainian authorities reportedly agreed to mirror such steps. Meanwhile, the continued exchange of prisoners of war between Ukraine and the Russian Federation shows that with political will, diplomacy can yield tangible results even in the most difficult circumstances.
Painting a grim picture, Joyce Msuya, Assistant-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Deputy Emergency Relief Coordinator, said that the humanitarian situation has worsened despite ceasefire opportunities. Civilians — especially in Kharkiv, Kherson, Dnipro, Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia and Sumy — are living under constant threat, she observed, voicing concern about the use of cluster munitions — banned by over 100 States due to their wide-area, indiscriminate and long-term effects. “Not a single day has passed without civilians being killed or injured in attacks” in 2025, she stressed.
She cited a “12 per cent rise in birth complications” with women giving birth amid blackouts and medicine shortages due to attacks on healthcare facilities. Strikes on schools continue to deprive children of a safe education with almost 600,000 learning remotely, often isolated and falling behind, she warned. With 3.7 million internally displaced and almost 7 million refugees, women and children continue to bear a disproportionate burden, she said.
Emphasizing that nearly 13 million people in Ukraine need humanitarian aid, she stressed that with reduced funding, the UN has “reprioritized” the Ukraine Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan to target 4.8 million people requiring $1.75 billion. “Without increased support, even prioritized life-saving efforts are at risk. Every contribution matters,” she stressed, calling on the Council for urgent collective action on Ukraine: ensuring protection of civilians, scaling up financial support and achieving a just peace.
In the ensuing debate, the representative of the Russian Federation emphasized that today’s meeting reflects the fear of “the most stubborn European sponsors of the Kyiv regime” of being sidelined by the new United States Administration that seeks a long-term solution to the Ukrainian crisis. Further, Ukraine, not the Russian Federation, is responsible for civilian casualties during 13 and 14 April attacks in Kryvyi Rih and Sumy due to its placement of air defence systems in populated areas and using civilians as shields. He emphasized that his country’s strikes were directed exclusively at military infrastructure, in contrast to Ukrainian attacks resulting in civilian casualties — yet have never been condemned by the Western countries.
Praising the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea for its military support under a June 2024 strategic partnership agreement that resulted in a complete defeat of the Ukrainian army in Kursk, he stressed that while Moscow has prioritized diplomacy, Ukraine’s leadership has sabotaged peace efforts. Further, Ukraine has committed terrorist attacks — including the assassination of a Russian general. Despite all this, “the Russian-US dialogue is ongoing” he said, urging Western countries to stop arms deliveries to Ukraine and pressure that country’s President into constructive negotiations.
Rejecting that narrative, Mariana Betsa, Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, stressed: “This is our country, this is our home, these are our families that we are defending,” while Ukraine has repeatedly shown its willingness to “give diplomacy a chance”. Today, the Russian Federation murdered a 12-year-old Ukrainian child, while it kills, tortures or deports them every day. Since the 11 March United States proposal for a full, unconditional ceasefire, Moscow has used nearly 8,500 guided aerial bombs “against peaceful civilians in the middle of Europe”, she stated. Recalling that the first ceasefire proposal has been on the table for 49 days but was rejected by Moscow, she noted that on 24 April, Moscow launched a large-scale attack on residential areas using 70 missiles — including a ballistic missile manufactured in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.
Citing Ukraine’s “red lines”, she said her Government will never recognize any temporarily-occupied Ukrainian territory of Ukraine as Russian. Her delegation will not agree to any foreign diktat regarding the structure or number of its defence forces, nor accept any restrictions on Ukraine’s domestic and foreign policies — including alliances it would like to join, while prisoners of war and deported children must be returned. “History has shown that appeasement does not stop aggressors,” she stressed. Peace without justice “is surrender”, she stated.
Pushing back on the Russian Federation’s delegate, the representative of the United States noted that Moscow has for months continued high profile strikes on Ukraine, “causing needless loss of life”. Both Moscow and Pyongyang have openly touted the presence of Democratic People’s Republic of Korea troops on the battlefield — “a serious escalation”, he said. It is up to the leaders of the Russian Federation and Ukraine to end the war, as the risks that accompany war are immeasurable and the burden will fall on ordinary Ukrainians and Russians.
Addressing that destruction, a number of delegates, including those of Greece, Panama, Romania and Latvia (also speaking for Estonia and Lithuania), condemned all forms of violence on the civilian population and civilian infrastructure, with Sierra Leone’s representative stressing the need to protect children. “2025 is proving to be particularly heinous, with intensified attacks on towns and cities across Ukraine,” she said.
Meanwhile, Moscow uses the principle of self-determination as a “smokescreen” to absorb Ukrainian territory, said Jean-Noël Barrot, Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs of France. In reality, Moscow is waging aggression against a neighbour, he said, adding: “Everybody sees this.” “The sole obstacle to the ceasefire is Vladimir Putin,” he emphasized, noting that the latter opposes the implementation of resolution 2774 (2025) seeking to push Ukraine towards capitulation.
Barbara Žvokelj, Secretary General, Ministry for Foreign and European Affairs of Slovenia, stressed: “There can be no winner in wars like this one. And no loser. Only victims.” While welcoming the United States initiative, she cautioned “against unilateral action with regard to peace in Ukraine”, as nothing can happen without both parties. While a ceasefire might be the necessary first step, she noted that throughout Ukraine, civilians are buried under rubble, while Kyiv is not hesitating when it comes to peace, “and this Council shouldn’t either”.
The representative of the United Kingdom stressed that the international community needs no more evidence to prove that President Putin “is not serious about peace”. The call for a temporary ceasefire “rings hollow”, he said, while during the “30-hour pause in fighting over Easter”, there was no indication that a ceasefire on the front line was observed. Denouncing this “pretence”, he stressed “Russia must declare a ceasefire now. Not in a day, not in a week.”
Denmark’s representative concurred that the Russian Federation’s actions are hardly those of a country seeking peace. While Ukraine has continuously shown its desire for peace, including accepting a complete 30-day ceasefire without preconditions, and the Russian Federation has suggested a three-day ceasefire, Moscow must make concrete steps towards a full and unconditional ceasefire, “just like Ukraine has agreed to”, she said.
The representative of Guyana, citing the two declarations of unilateral ceasefires by the Russian Federation, agreed that the gravity of the humanitarian situation in Ukraine demands a more permanent solution. The complex nature of these discussions requires patient and sustained diplomacy that must be supported by the international community, including the Council, she said.
Similarly, the representatives of Pakistan and Algeria emphasized that dialogue and diplomacy are the only viable paths to ending the war. Algeria, in particular, urged the international community to seize the “current momentum” and intensify diplomatic efforts to bridge differences and bring the conflict to a close. Somalia’s delegate welcomed Moscow’s announcement of a 72-hour cessation of hostilities scheduled for May which has the potential to “transform this brief pause into more sustained peace”.
For his part, China’s delegate emphasized the importance of stakeholders working together “to address the root causes of the crisis and to reach a peace agreement that is fair, lasting, binding and acceptable to all parties”. Noting that China’s position on the Ukraine issue “is objective, impartial, rational and pragmatic”, he recalled his Government has joined with Brazil and other countries to form the Group of Friends for Peace in Ukraine.
Meanwhile, issuing a warning, the representative of the Republic of Korea noted that millions of rounds of Pyongyang’s ammunition are being used on the battlefield in Ukraine — with reports indicating “that North Korea now supplies nearly half of Russia’s front-line munition”, he said. More than a year and a half of arms transfers and other military cooperation between the countries — including the deployment of Democratic People’s Republic of Korea troops — continue unabated, in flagrant violation of Council resolutions.