any peaceful settlement must respect the sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity of Ukraine

**Security Council This morning, the Security Council met under the agenda of threats to international peace and security.  Briefing Council members was Miroslav Jenča, the Assistant Secretary-General for Europe, Central Asia and the Americas.  He noted that in one week, we will mark three tragic years since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, launched in violation of the UN Charter and international law.  In this context, Mr. Jenča said, today’s ten-year anniversary of Security Council resolution 2202 (2015) — that called for the full implementation of the now-defunct Minsk agreements — is an opportunity to recall past diplomatic efforts towards de-escalation and a peaceful settlement of the conflict. He noted that the Secretary-General has underlined, time and again, that any peaceful settlement must respect the sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity of Ukraine, in line with the UN Charter, international law and resolutions of the General Assembly.  Mr. Jenča said that the UN encourages dialogue among all stakeholders and welcomes all genuine efforts and initiatives, with the full participation of Ukraine and the Russian Federation, that would alleviate the impact of the war on civilians and de-escalate the conflict.  His remarks were shared with you. **Ukraine And just since we are on the topic of Ukraine, our humanitarian colleagues tell us that attacks today and over the weekend in Ukraine killed and injured civilians across the country.  According to what local authorities are telling us, front-line communities in Dnipro, Donetsk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia regions were the most affected.  Authorities and partners on the ground also say that yesterday, a thermal power plant in Mykolaiv, in the south of the country, was damaged.  An estimated 100,000 men, women and children were left without heating as temperatures dropped below 0°C.  About 760 residential buildings, nearly 70 schools and kindergartens, and 20 health facilities lost access to heating.  Municipal services are working to restore services. Humanitarians responded swiftly in Zaporizhzhia and Mykolaiv, providing aid including mental health support and psychosocial support, emergency shelter kits, food, warm drinks and blankets.  As of this morning, the Ukrainian grid operator, Ukrenergo, imposed emergency power cuts in various regions due to the latest round of attacks. As hostilities continue to damage homes and infrastructure in front-line regions, aid organizations remain committed to providing winter assistance to vulnerable people.  Under the 2024–2025 Winter Response Plan, humanitarian efforts have supported more than 900,000 people.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/policy-and-rights--3339563/support.