UN urges immediate Ukraine ceasefire as US pushes for peace and child returns

U.N. officials called for continued diplomatic efforts toward a ceasefire in Ukraine at a U.N. Security Council meeting on Monday (April 20).

"It is essential that the international community maintain sustained attention and coordinated diplomatic engagement aimed at securing a full, immediate and unconditional ceasefire," senior U.N. political affairs official Khaled Khiari said.

Senior U.N. aid official Joyce Msuya said civilians and humanitarian personnel must be protected.

"Even wars have rules. Civilians, including humanitarian personnel and the critical infrastructure on which civilians depend must be protected," she said.

Deputy U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Tammy Bruce said Washington continued to support "a negotiated and durable end to the war to stop the bloodshed."

She said the United States would provide $25 million for a program aimed at supporting the return of Ukrainian children transferred to Russia or Russian-controlled territory.

Russia's U.N. Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia said allegations that Moscow had violated an Easter truce were unfounded. He said Russia had recorded at least 6,500 violations by Ukrainian forces during the 32-hour period and said the measure should not be interpreted as the start of a broader ceasefire.

Ukraine's U.N. Ambassador Andrii Melnyk called for tighter sanctions on Russian energy exports and said any ceasefire arrangement should be backed by enforcement measures, including targeted sanctions.

-Roselle Chen/Reuters