Mariana Betsa thanked the UN team for assisting millions of Ukrainians, including in frontline areas, and stressed the importance of scaling up UN operations and strengthening the strategic partnership with the Government of Ukraine to protect civilians ahead of the 2026–2027 autumn and winter season.

Addressing the diplomatic corps, the Deputy Minister underlined the importance of conveying objective information about the consequences of Russian aggression to capitals and headquarters, and of keeping Ukraine’s humanitarian needs among the priorities of the international agenda.

“The situation remains extremely difficult: Russia is intensifying its missile and drone attacks on civilians and Ukraine’s critical infrastructure, including schools, hospitals, shelters and bridges. Of particular concern are the threats to people’s lives and safety in frontline areas and in major cities. Russia has no intention of stopping, and its strategy remains unchanged – to destroy Ukraine as a state and as a nation. Against this backdrop, humanitarian assistance remains vital to supporting communities across Ukraine. I call on our international partners to step up their assistance to Ukraine during this difficult winter period and to increase pressure on the aggressor state in order to end Russia’s systematic violations of international law. We must not allow daily attacks and human suffering to become the norm,” said Mariana Betsa.

Mariana Betsa paid particular attention to the impact of the war on children, including restricted access to education and healthcare. She emphasized that the return of unlawfully deported or forcibly transferred Ukrainian children, prisoners of war and civilian hostages remains an absolute priority for Ukraine, and called on partners to support their return and reintegration.

The event also featured a panel discussion in an open-dialogue format with Minister of Social Policy, Family and Unity of Ukraine Denys Uliutin, Deputy Minister for Communities, Territories and Internally Displaced Persons of Ukraine Vitalii Bielobrov, UN Resident Coordinator and Humanitarian Coordinator in Ukraine Matthias Schmale, and heads of UN agencies in Ukraine. Participants discussed practical aspects of scaling up humanitarian assistance and strengthening support for affected populations ahead of winter.

The discussion focused on priority needs ahead of winter, the impact of Russian attacks on energy and other critical civilian infrastructure, ensuring the continuity of basic services, and support for the hardest-hit communities. Participants also addressed the protection of women and children, the mobilization of additional resources for joint programmes, and stronger protection of civilians in line with international humanitarian law.

Participants highlighted the important role of UN humanitarian programmes, emergency assistance, the restoration of energy infrastructure and targeted support for communities in preparing for winter and saving lives.