Red Cross admits its statement criticising Ukraine is inappropriate
Representatives of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) have admitted that a statement condemning Ukrainian strikes on Russia was "inappropriate" and pledged to improve their communications.
Source: official website of Ukraine's Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Details: Ukrainian Foreign Ministry said it had summoned Juan-Pedro Schaerer, the head of the ICRC mission in Ukraine, on 20 January to discuss what it described as incorrect public remarks by the organisation's leadership.
In a statement on 14 January, the ICRC condemned "recent strikes on critical infrastructure in Ukraine and Russia". When listing affected cities, the mission mentioned not only Kyiv, Dnipro and Donetsk but also the Russian city of Belgorod.
Ukraine's Foreign Ministry said that during the meeting, the Ukrainian side expressed "deep disappointment" with a statement by the ICRC's regional director for Europe and Central Asia, which effectively "equated the responsibility of Russia, the aggressor, with that of Ukraine, defending itself and its people, for human suffering".
Ukraine stressed that, unlike Russia, it carries out strikes solely against legitimate military targets, in line with its inherent right to self-defence under the UN Charter. It added that any attempt to equate Ukraine with Russia or draw false parallels between them is "immoral, mistaken and completely unacceptable".
The Foreign Ministry said ICRC representatives have acknowledged the inappropriateness of attempts to equate responsibility and agreed on the need to improve the committee's communications going forward. Schaerer also noted that he and his colleagues in Kyiv have seen the real humanitarian impact and experienced the aftermath of Russian attacks first-hand.
Ukraine expects the committee to be more insistent in its efforts to ensure uninterrupted access to Ukrainian prisoners of war and civilians who have been illegally detained by Russia and to reflect this in its public communications, the Foreign Ministry added.
Background: Ukraine's Ministry of Foreign Affairs has summoned a representative of the International Committee of the Red Cross in Ukraine to seek explanations over the committee's statement condemning strikes "in Ukraine and Russia".
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