UNITED NATIONS: Pakistan called for de-escalation and ceasefire in the fighting between Russia and Ukraine, emphasising that “echoes for peace must be heard”.

Ambassador Usman Jadoon, deputy permanent representative of Pakistan to the United Nations, told the UN Council, which debated the situation in Ukraine, that the conflict was going on for past four years.

“The calls for ending this conflict should not be allowed to go unheard or masked by the continued drums of war,” he said, adding that peace in Ukraine was long overdue.

The appeal came as Russia on Saturday claimed to have wrested two villages in Ukraine, including one in the central Dnipropetrovsk region, marking a fresh advance into an area largely spared seizures of land since Moscow launched its offensive in 2022.

Echoes for peace must be heard, Pakistani envoy to UN says

Overnight strikes by both sides meanwhile claimed six lives — four in central Ukraine and two in western Russia, according to officials in both countries.

Pakistan, as a consistent advocate for peace, called for de-escalation and giving primacy to dialogue over fighting, said Ambassador Jadoon, who was chairing the 15-member council meeting.

“Only a sincere and meaningful dialogue which addresses mutual security concerns of all sides, is anchored in the in the principles of UN Charter and international law, and respects the relevant multilateral agreements can help lead to a peace, which is durable, just and long-lasting,” he emaphasised.

“Military solution and continued escalation is akin to pursuing a dead end,” he said.

“Sustainable peace demands de-escalation, ceasefire and unwavering commitment to dialogue.”

Ambassador Jadoon noted that tangible progress had remained elusive despite the diplomatic efforts, including Security Council Resolution 2774, and multiple limited ceasefire understandings.

“While prisoner exchanges and talks in Istanbul offer a glimmer of hope, it is unfortunate that the ongoing violence, death and destruction from relentless attacks, has continued to cast a shadow over the nascent and fledgling peace efforts.”

Asserting that diplomacy was the only path forward, the Pakistan envoy welcomed the talks between the Russia and Ukraine. “These, however, must translate into tangible de-escalation and steps such as prisoner swaps, should catalyse broader political negotiations, aimed at ending this conflict.”

Pakistan, he added, stands ready to support all regional and international efforts that pave the way for a peaceful resolution of the Ukraine conflict.

Recalling that delegations from both countries recently met in Istanbul for the third time in 2025, Assistant Secretary-General for Europe, Central Asia and the Americas in the Departments of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs and Peace Operations Miroslav Jenca urged that ongoing diplomatic contacts be sustained to make tangible progress towards ending the current dangerous cycle of escalation as soon as possible.

Joyce Msuya, assistant secretary-general for humanitarian affairs and deputy emergency relief coordinator, said there was no safe place left in Ukraine, emphasising that the use of explosive weapons in populated areas including long-range missiles and drones remained a key driver of civilian harm.

Nearly 13 million people were in need of assistance, but limited funding means only a fraction of them could be reached, she said.

According to her, the continued use of antipersonnel mines puts civilian lives and livelihoods at daily risk.

The Convention on the Prohibition of the Use, Stockpiling, Production and Transfer of Anti-Personnel Mines and on their Destruction prohibits the use of these munitions, she said, noting with alarm the recent announcement by the Ukrainian president about Ukraine’s withdrawal from the Convention.

On Saturday, the Russian army said its forces had “liberated the settlement of Maliyevka” in Dnipropetrovsk and Zeleny Gai in Donetsk region on the border with Dnipropetrovsk.

Further north in Kharkiv, a Russian strike destroyed a large boiler room that would be impossible to repair before winter, local authorities said.

Supported by swarms of drones, Russia gains new settlements almost daily, but they are normally reduced to rubble and emptied of inhabitants after months of fighting.

The summer offensive comes despite a call from the United States to cease violence and peace talks in Istanbul, which so far have yielded no breakthroughs.

Deeper advances could mean more attacks on one of Ukraine’s largest cities, Dnipro, though Russian troops were around 200km away. Dnipropetrovsk is not one of the five Ukrainian regions — Donetsk, Kherson, Lugansk, Zaporizhzhia and Crimea — that Moscow has publicly claimed as Russian territory.

Published in Dawn, July 27th, 2025