Despite Deadly Russian Aerial Attacks in Kyiv, Ukraine, Speakers in Security Council Voice Hope Diplomatic Efforts towards Ceasefire Will Gain Ground
Fighting in Ukraine continues to claim innocent lives, envelop new areas and displace more civilians, the Security Council heard today, as many speakers expressed hope that diplomatic efforts to achieve a ceasefire will gain ground despite the Russian Federation’s deadly attack on Kyiv just days ago.
“We have witnessed unrelenting, large-scale Russian aerial attacks on Ukrainian cities and towns, resulting in a significant rise in civilian casualties,” reported Miroslav Jenča, Assistant Secretary-General for Europe, Central Asia and Americas in the Departments of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs and Peace Operations. From 16 to 17 June, Russian Federation drones and missiles hit seven districts across Kyiv, killing at least 28 civilians and injuring more than 130 others. “This was one of the deadliest attacks on the capital in nearly a year,” he said. Further, seven oblasts were reportedly attacked with over 428 drones and missiles.
Nearly 50 Per Cent Rise in Civilian Casualties
“The levels of death and destruction risk dimming hope for an immediate ceasefire and threaten to undermine prospects for a lasting peace,” he stressed. Illustrating the dramatic escalation under way, he said that the number of civilian casualties in the first five months of 2025 was 47 per cent higher than in the same period in 2024. Escalating violence impacting civilians also continues to be reported — “albeit at a far lower level”, he noted — in bordering regions on the Russian Federation. He underscored: “Attacks against civilians and civilian infrastructure are strictly prohibited under international humanitarian law — wherever they occur.”
He went on to note “important diplomatic developments”, including a second meeting between Ukrainian and Russian Federation delegations on 2 June; an agreement for large-scale exchanges of prisoners of war, mortal remains and civilian detainees; and the recent exchange of sick, wounded and youth under 25. Welcoming the continuation of “all meaningful diplomatic efforts”, he urged the sides to make “tangible” progress towards a ceasefire. With renewed escalation on the ground — and crisis elsewhere — the international community must maintain focus on the urgent need for peace in Ukraine. He stressed: “We must redouble the efforts to ensure that the fragile diplomatic process is not only sustained, but becomes irreversible.”
Expanding on the human cost of failing to do so, Edem Wosornu, Director of Operations and Advocacy in the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, underscored: “Civilians have found no respite from continuing violence.” Over 20 per cent of Ukraine’s land is contaminated by mines or unexploded ordnance, making it the “most heavily contaminated country” since the Second World War, she said. Also highlighting 68 incidents of violence impacting humanitarian personnel, assets and facilities, she underlined the imperative to spare civilians — including humanitarian workers — and civilian objects. The reported use of anti-personnel landmines and cluster munitions is of special concern — “these weapons must be relegated to the past”, she stressed.
Close to 13 Million People in Need of Assistance
“Vulnerabilities are deepening for nearly 13 million people in need of assistance,” she continued, adding that 3.7 million remain internally displaced and that there are almost 6 million Ukrainian people registered as refugees globally. While Ukraine’s Government continues to decree the mandatory evacuation of families with children from frontline villages, she observed that, “for some people living in these regions, attacks are so frequent that evacuations themselves become a risky prospect”. Despite that, over 450 humanitarian organizations reached an estimated 3.4 million people with life-saving assistance.
The priorities, she said, are people near the frontline, evacuations, emergency response after strikes and aid for the most vulnerable among the displaced. However, the 2025 Ukraine Humanitarian Response Plan is only 31 per cent funded. Calling on the Council to ensure the protection of civilians — including humanitarian workers — she urged the organ to also sustain financial support, as declining funding trends are forcing programmes to close. Until the conflict is over, the Council must ensure that humanitarian concerns are a “central” part of discussions. But, above all, she underscored: “End this war.”
Delegates Urge Russian Federation to Accept 30-Day Ceasefire Offer
“Russia keeps meeting Ukraine’s efforts towards a ceasefire with missiles and drones,” stressed the representative of Slovenia as the floor opened. Moscow’s recent attacks, she added, “are not only a display of bad faith in the midst of negotiations — they are an expression of unwillingness to compromise; an attempt to intimidate until maximalist terms are accepted”. Stating that her delegation is “confident” that there will be a “nearly” united voice calling for ceasefire in the Council chamber today, she said: “We are waiting for just one more to join.”
However, the representative of France said that “Russia doesn’t want peace”, adding that “one need only observe its actions to see this”. Recent deaths in Ukraine “are no accident”, he stressed, nor are they collateral damage — “civilians are being deliberately targeted”. He stated: “They died because Russia is choosing to pursue a strategy of terror to try to bring Ukraine to its knees.” Urging the Council to condemn these violations of international humanitarian law — and to call on Moscow to end them — he added that the organ “must recall that peace — to be real — must be just”.
Concurring that recent Russian Federation attacks “are not random”, the representative of the United Kingdom said that they are “part of a deliberate and intensifying campaign of violence”. She also pointed out that “dreadful milestones keeping piling up”, noting that it has been 101 days since Ukraine agreed to an unconditional ceasefire and it is now reported that Russian Federation military casualties have reached 1 million. The representative of the Republic of Korea spotlighted another, as 19 June marked the first anniversary of the illegal military cooperation between Moscow and Pyongyang.
The representative of the United States offered a third: “It is now 116 days since this Council adopted a resolution imploring a swift end to the conflict.” Underscoring that Russian Federation attacks on Ukrainian cities are unjustifiable, she called on Moscow to negotiate — in good faith — towards a ceasefire. Denmark’s representative — recalling that Ukraine has repeatedly offered an immediate, unconditional and complete 30-day ceasefire — called on the Russian Federation to accept this offer, “and to do so now”. “Actions speak louder than words,” she said.
Failing to seize the opportunities offered by dialogue will only prolong the suffering of millions, stressed the representative of Pakistan. Expressing regret over the “recent escalation in fighting between the two sides”, he stated that military means will not resolve this conflict. Algeria’s representative concurred: “Warfare has proven its failure to achieve progress towards a ceasefire or a peaceful settlement.” The representative of Sierra Leone, for her part, observed that “there are opportunities for good-faith negotiations on a ceasefire at this very juncture”.
Recent Prisoner Exchange Step in Right Direction
In that vein, Somalia’s representative said that the recent prisoner exchange is an encouraging sign of dialogue and a reminder that, even amidst conflict, humanitarian gestures remain possible. Urging the parties to build on this progress, he added that “a ceasefire alone is not enough”. China’s representative, also welcoming diplomatic progress achieved in Istanbul, encouraged both sides to hold a new round of negotiations. Citing an old Chinese saying, he observed: “Three-foot-thick ice does not form overnight.”
“This war needs to stop,” underscored Greece’s representative, adding that an “overwhelming majority” of Member States have “repeatedly condemned Russia’s war of choice against Ukraine”. While welcoming recent peace efforts, he stressed: “What is needed is not to treat the symptoms, but the disease — and this can only be done by putting an immediate end to the hostilities that led to this.” He therefore called on Moscow to “heed the calls of the majority of the international community” and agree to a ceasefire.
Panama’s representative also welcomed recent diplomatic efforts but emphasized that “these attempts cannot be seen as genuine if, at the same time, deliberate attacks against urban centres and critical civilian infrastructure are being intensified”. He, too, called on Moscow to accept a proposed ceasefire, stressing that “peacebuilding demands political will — not rhetoric”. The representative of Guyana — Council President for June — spoke in her national capacity to join the call for an immediate end to the hostilities. “We also call, once again, for respect for Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity,” she added.
Speakers for Russian Federation, Ukraine Trade Accusations
Meanwhile, the representative of the Russian Federation said: “We are, once again, forced to listen to fairytales about big, bad, imperialist Russia.” While Ukraine desperately tries to portray a missile hitting the entrance to an apartment building in Kyiv as a deliberate strike by his country, he said that videos shot by ordinary citizens expose this as a false claim. The Russian Federation targets military objects alone, he underscored, such as the military-industrial facilities, air-defence systems and military warehouses that were hit on the same day. On current negotiations, he stressed that the memorandum on a peaceful settlement that his country offered in Istanbul is “the best offer Ukraine can get”.
Responding to that delegation’s claim that Moscow does not target civilians, the representative of Ukraine asked: “If it wasn’t Russia shelling our homes, then who else could it be? Aliens from outer space? Or, perhaps, Darth Vader and his Death Star?” However, those present know that these attacks come from a single source, he said — the Russian Federation President’s “decision to terrorize civilians in Ukraine simply because his army cannot win — and will not win — on the battlefield.” Urging the Council to urgently act to secure a 30-day ceasefire, he stressed: “There is no lack of willingness for peace on the Ukrainian side — only a lack of honesty from those who keep launching the deadly missiles.”
Attacks on Kyiv Part of Broader Terrorist Campaigns
Others from the region also noted Ukraine’s readiness to accept a ceasefire and condemned the recent attack on Kyiv. “No target is off-limits for Russia,” stressed the representative of Norway, also speaking for Denmark, Finland, Iceland and Sweden. Lithuania’s representative — also speaking for Estonia and Latvia — said that the attack on Kyiv is part of “a broader pattern of deliberately cynical terrorist campaigns by Russia against Ukrainian civilians and critical infrastructure”. “These,” stressed the representative of the European Union, in its capacity as observer, “are not the actions of a country suing for peace”.
Urging Moscow to accept the unconditional ceasefire, start negotiating in good faith and save countless lives, Poland’s representative expressed support for Ukraine’s unquestionable right to defend itself. The representative of Italy added that his country, in addition to backing European Union initiatives to support Ukraine, will play an active role in Ukraine’s socioeconomic recovery. Meanwhile, Moscow is “using diplomacy as a façade”, stressed the representative of Germany, underscoring: “How the war ends does matter — not only to Ukraine and Europe, but to every Member State of this Organization.”