UN's Griffiths Says Made Specific Suggestions to Russia for Humanitarian Pauses in Ukraine

UNITED NATIONS (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 05th April, 2022) UN Under Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs Martin Griffiths said on Tuesday that while in Russia he made concrete proposals on mutual humanitarian pauses in Ukraine, and Moscow pledged to consider them.

On Monday, Griffiths met with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and his deputy, Sergey Vershinin, as well as a deputy defense minister.

"In my meetings with these senior officials, I discussed also, in addition to these possibilities of humanitarian ceasefires, I discussed the issues of humanitarian convoys, of safe passage ... I outlined possibilities for building further on that cooperation, sharing specific suggestions for mutually agreed upon military freezes to allow for evacuations of civilians and for the safe passage of life-saving aid," Griffiths told a UN Security Council.

"My counterparts in Moscow received these suggestions, assured me of their intent to carefully study these ideas, which I left with them, and we agreed to remain in close contact," he added.

Griffiths will travel to Ukraine on Wednesday to follow up on the talks with Russia and see the humanitarian response first-hand.

"Tomorrow, I hope to travel, I plan to travel, to Ukraine to have discussions with senior authorities from the Ukrainian government in Kiev on Thursday," he said.