Stephen O’Brien, the UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, came with visit to the occupied Donetsk, RIA Novosti reported citing the source in the so-called Donetsk People’s republic.
“Stephen O'Brien has arrived, and he is already in Donetsk. So far, his plans do not change. He plans to visit the Debaltseve and Centralne village ," the press secretary of the UN Under-Secretary-General Amanda Pitt stated.
According to the press secretary, the UN Under-Secretary-General expects to meet with the local residents, learn from them about the situation on the spot and about the impact of the ongoing conflict. In addition, it was said that O'Brien plans to meet with representatives of the so-called Donetsk People’s Republic.
Yesterday, Stephen O'Brien met with Prime Minister of Ukraine Arseniy Yatsenyuk, the press service of Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine reported.
During the meeting the sides discussed the humanitarian situation in the temporarily occupied territories of Donetsk and Luhansk regions, as well as issues related to the protection, meeting the needs and assistance to internally displaced persons and Ukrainian citizens who live in the zone of the Anti - Terrorist Operation (ATO).
As Stephen O'Brien noted, the United Nations and all its structures support the Ukraine and will remain a reliable partner. He marked the efforts of the Ukrainian government aimed towards the current difficult social and humanitarian challenges, assistance to aggrieved and alleviating of transportation of humanitarian aid across the demarcation line, as said in a press release of the government press service.
According to Yatsenyuk, Ukraine appreciates the assistance of the UN and expects further consolidation of the international community to assist Ukrainian citizens who suffered from Russian aggression, and were held hostages by Russian terrorists.
"The head of the Ukrainian government called for increased international pressure on the Russian leadership to ensure that the Minsk arrangements and to overcome any obstacle on the part of Russian militants for the admission of Ukrainian and international humanitarian assistance to our citizens," said in a statement.
