Peter Maurer, president of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), has arrived in Moscow to continue the ICRC’s ongoing humanitarian discussions with the Russian authorities.

Aliyu Dawobe, ICRC’s spokesman, confirmed this in a statement on Wednesday. He stated that Maurer planned to speak about the pressing humanitarian issues to be addressed to alleviate the suffering of people affected by the conflict in Ukraine.

“The devastation caused by the conflict in recent weeks, as well as eight years of conflict in Donbas, has been vast. There are practical steps guided by international humanitarian law that the parties must take to limit the suffering,” said the statement. “I was in Kyiv last week, and I’m in Moscow this week to continue the discussion with the authorities on these steps.”

Mr Dawobe added that humanitarian issues in places such as Syria or relation with the consequences of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict were also on the agenda, continuing a long-running dialogue.

According to him, Mr Maurer plans to meet with representatives of foreign affairs and defence ministries.

Mr Dawobe also mentioned that the ICRC president would also meet with the chairman of the Russian Red Cross, which was doing significant work assisting those who arrived in Russia after fleeing from their homes in Donbas.

He stated that ICRC was seeking to increase the respect of international humanitarian law and work within its mandate as a neutral and impartial intermediary to address humanitarian issues.

Mr Dawobe also said Mr Maurer would also facilitate dialogue between all sides.

“To meet the growing humanitarian needs, the ICRC is massively scaling up its work, including moving in additional assistance and specialists,” he further explained. “For the humanitarian response to be more effective, neutral and impartial humanitarian space must be agreed upon and respected, so this much-needed assistance reaches those in need.”

(NAN)