The United Nations refugee agency expects there to be 8.3 million Ukrainian refugees in neighboring Eastern European countries by the end of the year.
The Geneva-based organization called for $1.85 billion to address the ongoing refugee and humanitarian crisis and to support neighboring countries like Hungary, Moldova, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Bulgaria and the Czech Republic.
The agency said that so far 5.2 million people have fled Ukraine in the past two months since Russia invaded.
“The human impact and the suffering already caused by this war are staggering. Families have been torn apart, houses and infrastructure have been destroyed, while the trauma of war will have a lasting impact on many of those forced to flee their homes, including women and children who represent some 90% of those forced to flee,” said United Nations refugee agency spokesperson Shabia Mantoo in a statement.
“Until we see an end to this war, humanitarian needs will continue to grow and displacement will not cease,” Mantoo added.
Meanwhile, United Nations says it has confirmed 2,729 civilian deaths and 3,111 injuries in Ukraine since Russia invaded its ex-Soviet neighbor on Feb. 24.
Of those killed, the U.N. has identified at least 61 girls and 73 boys, as well as 67 children whose gender is unknown.
The Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights said Monday that the death toll in Ukraine is likely higher, citing delayed reports due to the armed conflict.
The international body said most of the civilian casualties recorded were caused by the use of explosive weapons with a wide impact area, including shelling from heavy artillery and multiple launch rocket systems, as well as missiles and airstrikes.
Foremost United Nations’ Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has said that a Ukraine ceasefire is needed as soon as possible after meeting Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.
Guterres said in Moscow on Tuesday that conditions for a ceasefire in Ukraine should be created as soon as possible, Reuters reported.
“We are extremely interested in finding ways in order to create the conditions for effective dialog, create the conditions for a ceasefire as soon as possible, create the conditions for a peaceful solution”, Guterres said at a meeting with Lavrov.
He is due to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin later today.
In the meantime, United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has traveled to Moscow to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin. The visit is aimed at gaining ground for cease-fires to help to flee civilians, and trying to involve the U.N. more deeply in brokering mediation efforts between Russia and Ukraine.
It comes after more than 200 former U.N. officials wrote Guterres a letter last week calling on him to step in and take a firmer role in conflict resolution, “out of concern for the existential challenge that the United Nations is facing in this historic juncture.”
Ukrainian officials have criticized Guterres for visiting Moscow before visiting Kyiv. The U.N. chief is also expected to meet with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov before traveling to Ukraine.
“It is simply wrong to go first to Russia,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said. “There is no justice and no logic in this order. The war is in Ukraine, there are no bodies in the streets of Moscow. It would be logical to go first to Ukraine, to see the people there, the consequences of the occupation.”
Meanwhile, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said his country will fight back against Russia’s invasion “until we win.”
“We don’t have the luxury to make any estimate” about when the war will end, Kuleba told MSNBC’s “Morning Joe.” He added, “We’ll fight until we win because if we lose there will be no Ukraine.”
“We will pay the price for the safety of the world and we are ready to do it because it’s also the price for our own independence,” Kuleba said.
Kuleba said that the war would be over sooner if allies sent more weapons to Ukraine and imposed additional sanctions on Russian oil and gas. He also called for the complete disconnection of all Russian banks from the international financial system.
“This victory may be much closer than anyone might think if we get support on all the weapons, especially heavy weapons,” he said, naming U.S. howitzers. “The sooner this is done, the sooner we’ll win.”
