Pakistan Demands ‘Immediate and Complete’ Ceasefire in Ukraine at UN Security Council

Pakistan has formally called for a complete and immediate end to the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine, urging all parties to return to the negotiating table as the human cost of the four-year-old war continues to climb.

Ambassador Jadoon addressed the UN Security Council on Monday during a session requested by Ukraine, which described an escalating pattern of Russian missile and drone attacks on its territory. Denmark, France, Greece, Latvia, and the United Kingdom co-sponsored the request for the emergency meeting.

Highlighting the worsening humanitarian situation, the Pakistani envoy described a relentless cycle of attacks deepening the suffering of Ukraine’s civilian population and destroying critical infrastructure. He called for reversing what he termed “this perilous momentum,” placing primary responsibility on the warring parties.

Pakistan stressed that any durable resolution must be mutually acceptable, aligned with the UN Charter, and respectful of the legitimate security interests of all parties involved.

Opening the debate, Khaled Khiari, UN Assistant Secretary-General for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs, confirmed that since Russia’s invasion began in February 2022, at least 16,126 civilians — including 796 children — have lost their lives in Ukraine. He noted that on June 15, Russia launched a large-scale strike on Kyiv and surrounding regions using dozens of missiles and hundreds of drones, also damaging a historic eleventh-century Dormition Cathedral, a landmark of Ukrainian spiritual and cultural heritage.

Khiari also expressed concern over civilian welfare in Russian-occupied Ukrainian territories, including Crimea and Sevastopol, and acknowledged casualties on the Russian side, noting that on June 18, a Ukrainian drone strike — the largest targeting Moscow since the war began — wounded 17 people, including children.

According to the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), at least 274 civilians were killed and 1,763 were injured in Ukraine in May alone.

Wosornu urged Council members to hold all parties accountable to international humanitarian law and called for timely, flexible humanitarian funding, warning that without it, the consequences fall hardest on those least able to flee.