UN Secretary-General António Guterres says Russia’s President Vladimir Putin’s “senseless war” in Ukraine is now six months old with no end in sight, repeating his ongoing appeal for peace.

On Wednesday, Mr Guterres told the Security Council that the “sad and tragic milestone” coincided with Ukraine’s 31st anniversary of independence.

“The people of Ukraine and beyond need peace, and they need peace now. Peace in line with the UN Charter. Peace in line with international law,” he said.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky participated in the meeting via videoconference.

Since Russia’s invasion on February 24, thousands of civilians have been killed or injured, humanitarian needs have skyrocketed, and numerous human rights abuses and violations have been reported.

Millions worldwide also continue to face a global food, fertiliser and fuel crisis, a ripple effect of the war. 

The secretary-general provided an update on his visit to Ukraine last week to follow up on the landmark agreement to bring grain from the country back into global markets.

“I can report to the Council that the Black Sea Grain Initiative, signed in Istanbul in July, is progressing well – with dozens of ships sailing in and out of Ukrainian ports, loaded so far with over 720,000 metric tonnes of grains and other food products,” Mr Guterres stated.

According to him, the initiative – signed by Ukraine, Russia, Türkiye and the UN – represents “a powerful demonstration of what can be achieved, in even the most devastating of contexts, when we put people first,” though pointing to the work still ahead.

The UN chief also underscored his continued concern over the situation in and around the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, which has come under intense shelling in recent weeks.

“The warning lights are flashing,” he said. “Any actions that might endanger the physical integrity, safety or security of the nuclear plant are simply unacceptable. Any further escalation of the situation could lead to self-destruction.”

Mr Guterres welcomed expressions of support for the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to dispatch a mission to the plant, Europe’s largest nuclear facility.

Meanwhile, efforts are ongoing to deploy a recently established fact-finding mission to Olenivka, where more than 50 Ukrainian prisoners of war were killed in a blast at a detention facility in late July.

UN human rights bodies continue to document violations and abuses related to the armed conflict. They include arbitrary detentions, enforced disappearances, arbitrary arrests, and the willful killings of hundreds of civilians in parts of Kyiv, Chernihiv, and Sumy regions under Russian control during February and March.

In detailing the war’s toll on the country, UN political affairs chief Rosemary DiCarlo also expressed concern over the situation of prisoners of war on both sides.

(NAN)