President called on the UN to deploy a peacekeeping mission in the Donbas

President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko is confident that a UN-mandated multinational peacekeeping operation with the only clear goal to restore Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity could be a decisive factor in ending sufferings of Ukrainian people. It was stated by him during the General Debate at the high-level event on Action for Peacekeeping within the 73rd session of the UN General Assembly.

“It is evident that the world has not become a safer place in the 21st century. We still witness wars and aggression, even on the European continent. As we speak, the foreign military aggression against Ukraine, in violation of the UN Charter and contrary to the resolutions adopted by the General Assembly and Security Council, rages on,” the Head of State noted.

Petro Poroshenko emphasized: “The temporary occupation of parts of Ukraine’s territory continues to cause suffering of Ukrainian people and undermine regional and international peace and security”.

He noted that according to a conservative estimate by the UN, the number of conflict-related casualties in Ukraine currently stands at over 35.000, including more than 10.000 people killed and almost 25.000 injured. The number of internally displaced persons is well over 1.5 million.

“It could look like yet another dry statistic, which this Organization is full of, but for me and Ukrainians these are scars on the very heart,” the President said.

“I am confident, a UN-mandated multinational peacekeeping operation with the only clear goal to restore Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity could be a decisive factor in ending sufferings of Ukrainian people. We believe that there is no better way but dispatching such an operation, under the robust UN mandate,” the President of Ukraine noted.

According to him, it would greatly assist in making Russia fulfil the Minsk agreements in good faith.

“I am grateful to Germany, France, and the US for mobilizing international support of this initiative,” the President said.

At the same time, the Head of State stressed that Russia is against the peacekeepers. “One reason for that is that the Kremlin is afraid. It is afraid that the peacekeepers will see Russian military manpower and military assets all over the occupied territory. They are also afraid of losing control over Ukraine border with Russia – a hostage taken by Kremlin to keep infiltrating its military in Donbas,” Petro Poroshenko said.

“Is it not for the UN to stand up to the challenge with courage?” the President noted. He recalled that Ukraine’s request to deploy the UN PKO in the occupied Donbas had not been addressed yet.

“We see it as a test for the ability of our Organization to act in a challenging conflict situation. A test, which still remains to be passed,” Petro Poroshenko concluded.