New Delhi: The UN General Assembly (UNGA) held a minute's silence for Ukraine as it began its special emergency session to examine Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
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President Abdulla Shahid of the United Nations General Assembly led the 193 members of the UN in a minute of silence before asking for an "immediate ceasefire" in the fighting, news agency PTI reported.
Addressing the UNGA emergency meeting on the Ukraine crisis, UN Secretary-General António Guterres said, "Escalating violence is resulting in civilians' death. Enough is Enough, soldiers need to move back to barracks, civilians must be protected."
"Humanitarian aid is vital, it's not a solution, the only solution is through peace. I have assured the Ukraine President that the UN will continue to assist, will not abandon them, will provide them with humanitarian assistance," Guterres was quoted by ANI on its official Twitter handle.
"I hope that the direct talks now taking place between Ukrainian and Russian delegations will produce not only an immediate halt to the fighting but also a path towards a diplomatic solution," he further adds.
According to Ukrainian interior ministry adviser Anton Herashchenko, dozens of civilians were murdered in rocket attacks by Russian forces on the Ukrainian city of Kharkiv on Monday morning.
Ukraine's UNGA representative said, "As of today, 352 people including 16 children killed on the Ukraine side. These numbers are growing nonstop, shelling continues."
However, Russia's UN envoy clarified that Moscow has no plan to occupy Ukraine, news agency Sputnik reported.
"Action plans were being made by Ukraine & Georgia to join NATO. Their (US) policy was to create anti-Russia Ukraine & ensured that it joined NATO. Ukraine joining NATO is a red line, compels us to adopt measures in response; has placed us at the verge of this conflict," he said.
(With Agencies Inputs)