By Anjali Sharma
UNITED NATIONS – UN head António Guterres on Tuesday has welcomed recent diplomatic efforts spearheaded by the US towards a peaceful settlement in Ukraine, his Spokesperson Stephane Dujarric told reporters in New York.
Mr. Dujarric responded to a journalist’s question about the meeting held the previous day between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, his American counterpart President Donald Trump, and several European leaders at the White House.
It followed talks last week between President Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin at a summit in Alaska.
“It’s very important that all involved continue to stay actively engaged in what we want to see as an inclusive dialogue to sustain the important momentum that was created to bring an immediate ceasefire and sustainable peace in Ukraine,” he said.
He noted that four years have passed since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine and more than 13,000 civilians have been killed, UN human rights monitors in the country have reported.
Mr. Dujarric was asked if the Secretary-General had any comment on the possibility of a meeting between the Russian and Ukrainian Presidents.
He noted that there is much discussion around “potential dialogues or formats, location”, he said “it is obviously important that those parties who are directly involved in this conflict be able to speak to each other directly.”
On UN could play in this process, he said the global body will be “supportive and ready to engage in a role that may or may not be given to us based on the principles that the Secretary-General has often reiterated.”
Mr. Dujarric stressed that “any peacekeeping mission anywhere would have to go through the Security Council, asked whether UN peacekeepers could be deployed to Ukraine.
