The United Nations chief has launched an initiative to immediately explore possible arrangements for a humanitarian cease-fire in Ukraine in order to allow the delivery of desperately needed aid and pave the way for serious political negotiations to end the month-long war.
Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said Monday he asked Undersecretary-General Martin Griffiths, the head of the U.N.'s worldwide humanitarian operations, to explore the possibility of a cease-fire with Russia and Ukraine. He said Griffiths has already made some contacts.
The 193-member U.N. General Assembly, by an overwhelming majority of about 140 nations, has called for an immediate cessation of hostilities in Ukraine twice -- on March 2 and on March 24 -- and Guterres told reporters he thinks this is the moment for the United Nations to assume the initiative.
Since Russia's invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24, the secretary-general said there has been a senseless loss of thousands of lives, displacement of 10 million people, systematic destruction of homes, schools, hospitals and other essential infrastructure, and skyrocketing food and energy prices worldwide.
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