Deputy Foreign Minister of Ukraine Mariana Betsa, as part of a working visit to the UN headquarters in New York on the occasion of the 4th anniversary of the full-scale Russian invasion, held a number of important meetings with foreign partners to promote the Ukrainian UNGA resolution “Support for lasting peace in Ukraine”.

During the meeting with the Deputy Foreign Minister of the United Kingdom, Stephen Doughty, the parties discussed the situation in the context of the Russian Federation’s 4-year ongoing full-scale war of aggression against Ukraine, approaches to a peaceful settlement and a ceasefire. The parties paid special attention to the issue of the return of Ukrainian children abducted by the Russian Federation.

Mariana Betsa also held a joint briefing for the delegation of the EU and the countries of Asia, Africa and Latin America - permanent representatives of Syria, Bahrain, Qatar, Jordan, Brazil; Deputy Permanent Representatives of Kuwait, Ghana, Egypt, Somalia, Indonesia, as well as a separate briefing for Francophone countries. During the events, the Deputy Minister informed, in particular, about the ongoing massive attacks by the Russian Federation on civilian and critical infrastructure of Ukraine, as well as the war crimes of the aggressor state, and called for increased comprehensive support for Ukraine and continued pressure on the Russian Federation in order to force it to peace.

During the meeting with UN Secretary-General António Guterres and Under-Secretary-General for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs Rosemary DiCarlo, Mariana Betsa focused on the issues of the ongoing Russian aggression and the impact of the war on civilians, as well as Ukraine’s approaches to a peaceful settlement. Separately, the parties discussed further support for Ukraine by the UN. The Secretary-General emphasized that a peaceful solution should be based on the principles of sovereignty and territorial integrity in conformity with the UN Charter.

During the conversation with the UN Under-Secretary-General - Special Representative for Children and Armed Conflict Vanessa Fraser, the parties discussed a wide range of issues related to the protection of children in Ukraine from the harmful effects of Russian aggression. The Deputy Minister confirmed the invitation of the Special Representative to visit Ukraine at any appropriate time. The parties paid special attention to the issue of the return of children abducted and illegally displaced by the Russian Federation, including in the context of the implementation of the UN General Assembly resolution “Return of Ukrainian Children”. Given the leading coordinating role of the Special Representative defined by this resolution, Mariana Betsa and Vanessa Fraser discussed further practical steps, in particular with the involvement of other relevant bodies and agencies of the UN system.