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On February 5th the Ambassador A. Plepytė made a statement at the virtual briefing on the Humanitarian Situation in Ukraine organized by United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).

Thank you for the briefing, which is a timely reminder of the negative impact that the ongoing war in eastern Ukraine continues to have both, on the humanitarian situation in Ukraine, and on civilians, who carry the heaviest burden of the conflict.

Due to the ongoing Russian aggression, 3.5 million Ukrainians are in need of humanitarian assistance; more than 1.7 million had to leave their homes and become IDPs. Moreover, ongoing hostilities created artificial boundaries and undermined the freedom of movement across the contact line. People in the conflict area have been separated from their families and have limited access to medical care, pensions and other services. In face of the COVID-19 pandemic, this situation is unacceptable.

Restrictions of the freedom of movement of international missions, such as ICRC or OSCE SMM, in particular, in the non-government controlled areas, are unacceptable. We call on Russia to use its influence over the armed formations in Donbas and demand to stop obstructing their work. There is no justification for interference and restrictions of their activities.

We urge member states to continue humanitarian support to Ukraine. However, it is important to reiterate, that only sustainable political resolution will have a lasting impact on the humanitarian situation in the conflict area.  In this regard, we call on Russia to assume its responsibility as a signatory of the Minsk agreements in seeking to end the war in Donbas with full respect of Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.

Lithuania continues to support Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity within its internationally recognized borders. We remain committed to the policy of non-recognition of the illegal annexation of Crimean and Sevastopol by Russia, including restrictive measures.