Martin Griffiths, the UN humanitarian chief emphasized on the need to ensure safe passage for the civilians as well as humanitarian aid in the war zones of Ukraine as 2 million refugees fled the country according to the UN High Commissioner for Refugees.
“Today the outflow of refugees from Ukraine reaches two million people. Two million,” said the UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi in a post on Twitter.
It is recorded as the fastest exodus that Europe has experienced since World War II.
Additionally, an unknown number of people have been displaced within Ukraine’s borders.
“Two weeks ago few people thought the scenario we find ourselves in today was thinkable,” Griffiths, the UN humanitarian chief, said, adding that the civilians in areas of active conflict, including Melitopol, Kharkiv, and Mariupol are in extreme need of humanitarian aid, especially life-saving medical supplies.
U.S. allies urge Russia to allow safe passage of civilians:
According to an international news agency, the United States and its allies on Monday urged Russia at the UN to allow safe passage to the locals in afflicted Ukrainian cities and aid to areas of conflict, stressing that the humanitarian crisis in Ukraine was deteriorating rapidly.
“We need Russia’s firm, clear, public and unequivocal commitment to allow and facilitate immediate, unhindered humanitarian access for humanitarian partners in Ukraine,”said Linda Thomas-Greenfield, the U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations at the U.N. Security Council meeting held to discuss the humanitarian crisis of Ukraine.
Delegates from many countries including the United States, France, Ireland as well as U.N. humanitarian chief Martin Griffiths sounded the alarm over the speedily rising number of civilian casualties, including women and children and displaced people.
Russian offer of Evacuation:
Earlier, Russia had offered Ukrainians escape routes to Russia and Belarus, its close ally after weekend evacuation ceasefire attempts failed. However, Kyiv rejected the proposal saying, Ukrainian citizens should be allowed to evacuate to other parts of Ukraine