KYIV, Ukraine: The UN on Friday said the humanitarian situation in eastern Ukraine is "extremely alarming" and continues to deteriorate, four months into the Russian invasion.
"Nearly four months since the start of the war, the humanitarian situation across Ukraine -- particularly in the eastern Donbas -- is extremely alarming and continues to deteriorate rapidly," the UN´s humanitarian agency, OCHA, said in a statement.
It said the situation is "particularly worrying in and around Severodonetsk" -- the eastern Ukrainian city where bloody battles have raged for weeks. Hundreds of civilians are believed to be trapped in the city, with some sheltering in the local chemical plant.
The UN said there is "diminishing access to clean water, food, sanitation and electricity" in the city, the statement said. It said that as "active hostilities continued to escalate" in eastern Ukraine, the war is "taking an enormous toll on civilians, including aid workers".
"Despite enormous access challenges, the UN and humanitarian partners have reached over 8.8 million people across Ukraine since the war started," it added.Meanwhile, the European Commission will meet on Friday to give its fast-tracked opinion on Ukraine’s bid for EU candidacy, a step closer to membership for the country a day after the bloc’s most powerful leaders visited Kyiv as it battles Russia’s invasion.
Never before has an opinion been given so quickly on EU candidacy, which must be approved by all 27 member states. The opinion will serve as a basis for discussion at next week’s EU summit, where leaders are expected to approve Ukraine’s candidate status with strict conditions, though membership may take years or even decades.
France, Germany, Italy and Romania are in favour of Ukraine receiving "immediate" candidate status, French President Emmanuel Macron said in Kyiv on Thursday. Macron, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Italian premier Mario Draghi arrived in Ukraine by train and were joined by Romania’s President Klaus Iohannis before meeting Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky, who has been lobbying allies for support. "The most important message of our visit is that Italy wants Ukraine in the EU," Draghi said at a joint press conference.
Scholz said Ukraine "belongs in the European family" and that Berlin would continue to send Kyiv weapons "for as long as it is needed". After meeting the visiting leaders, Zelensky said he explained "essential needs in the field of defence".
"We are expecting new deliveries, above all heavy weapons, modern artillery, anti-aircraft defence systems," he said, even as Macron said France would send six Caesar self-propelled howitzers to add to the 12 already deployed on Ukraine’s eastern front.
Zelensky promised Ukraine was ready to put in the work to become an EU member. Think tank director Sebastien Maillard said he expects a positive opinion on Ukraine’s EU status, but with conditions and a deadline.
"This is a very delicate exercise for the Commission because it cannot be less demanding for Ukraine than for other countries for which it has given a favourable opinion in the past. Its credibility requires the maintenance of high standards," the head of the Jacques Delors Institute said.
Russia has already "strategically lost" its war with Ukraine, suffering heavy losses and strengthening Nato, the UK’s chief of defence staff said in an interview published on Friday. "This is a dreadful mistake by Russia. Russia will never take control of Ukraine," said Tony Radakin, the country’s highest-ranking military officer.
The admiral said Russian President Vladimir Putin had sacrificed a quarter of his country’s army power for "tiny" gains and was running out of troops and high-tech missiles. In eastern Ukraine, Russian forces edged closer to control of the twin cities of Severodonetsk and Lysychansk after weeks of battle.
