Two Briefings on Ukraine
Tomorrow afternoon (29 May), the Security Council will hold an open briefing on Ukraine under the “Maintenance of peace and security of Ukraine” agenda item. The Council’s European members—Denmark, France, Greece, Slovenia, and the UK—requested the meeting to receive an update on political and humanitarian developments in the country. Under-Secretary-General for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs Rosemary DiCarlo and Director of the Humanitarian Financing and Resource Mobilization Division at the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) Lisa Doughten are the anticipated briefers. Ukraine and several regional states are expected to participate in the meeting under rule 37 of the Council’s provisional rules of procedure.
On Friday morning (30 May), at Russia’s request, the Council will convene for another open briefing on Ukraine—this time under the “Threats to international peace and security” agenda item—to discuss actions by European countries that Russia claims are hindering efforts towards a peaceful settlement of the conflict. At the time of writing, the briefers for that meeting had not yet been confirmed.
The Council last met to discuss Ukraine on 29 April. Since then, diplomatic efforts regarding the conflict have intensified. On 16 May, Russian and Ukrainian officials met in Istanbul, Türkiye, for their first direct peace talks in three years. Ukraine’s delegation was led by Defence Minister Rustem Umerov and Russia’s by Presidential Adviser Vladimir Medinsky. The meeting produced the largest prisoner exchange of the war—1,000 soldiers from each side—but failed to secure a ceasefire agreement. Nonetheless, the delegations apparently agreed to prepare documents outlining their respective positions on achieving a sustainable settlement.
The talks took place amid mounting pressure on Russia from European leaders, who warned that the country could face additional sanctions if it did not agree to a 30-day ceasefire. Russian President Vladimir Putin proposed the direct talks in lieu of a ceasefire but chose not to attend in person. His absence drew criticism from European officials, who viewed it as a snub to peace efforts.
Following the 16 May meeting, US President Donald Trump held separate calls with Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. After speaking with Putin, Trump said that both Russia and Ukraine have a lot to gain from resolving the conflict and noted that negotiations would resume “immediately”. Today (28 May), Moscow proposed holding the next round of talks on 2 June in Istanbul, where it intends to present a memorandum outlining its perspective on addressing what it calls the “root causes” of the war. Kyiv has accused Moscow of using the negotiations as a pretext to stall for time, while European leaders recently approved additional sanctions against Russia to increase pressure on the country to engage in good faith.
Meanwhile, hostilities have continued to escalate. Between 24 and 26 May, Russia launched a sustained three-day assault on Ukraine, firing hundreds of drones and dozens of missiles at targets across the country. According to Ukrainian officials, 26 May marked the largest single drone attack since the start of Russia’s invasion in February 2022. The strikes prompted widespread condemnation, including from Trump, who described Putin as “absolutely crazy” and warned that he may impose new US sanctions on Russia—a step that he has previously been reluctant to take. Along the front lines, the most intense clashes have taken place around the city of Pokrovsk in Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk region. Further north, along the country’s northeastern border, Russia has reportedly amassed over 50,000 troops near the Sumy region—an action Kyiv views as preparation for a potential summer offensive, while Moscow seeks to create a “security buffer zone” along its border.
At tomorrow’s meeting, the briefers are expected to provide an update on the political and humanitarian situations in Ukraine, with a focus on the impact of recent hostilities on civilians. DiCarlo is likely to reference the latest report on the Protection of Civilians in Armed Conflict by the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) in Ukraine, published on 8 May, which documented at least 209 civilian deaths and 1,146 injuries in April. This marks a 23 percent increase from March and the highest monthly civilian casualty count since September 2024. Most of the casualties (97 percent) occurred in areas under Ukrainian control. DiCarlo may also condemn the recent waves of Russian missile and drone attacks, emphasising the heightened dangers posed by the use of explosive weapons in populated areas and calling for strict adherence to international humanitarian law.
Doughten is likely to outline the humanitarian response to the recent surge in hostilities, highlighting the persistent challenges posed by funding shortfalls. According to OCHA’s Humanitarian Response and Funding Snapshot, covering the period from January to March, a sharp and sudden decline in global humanitarian funding has had far-reaching impacts across nearly all sectors of the response in Ukraine. As a result, humanitarian organisations have been forced to scale back or suspend vital programmes. Doughten may stress that without additional funding, the capacity to maintain current operations and address emerging needs will be severely constrained.
Tomorrow, Council members are expected to express concern about the ongoing hostilities and emphasise the urgent need for a comprehensive ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine. They are also likely to welcome the recent direct diplomatic engagement between the two sides as a positive step toward de-escalation.
Differing views are expected to emerge, however, over what constitutes the greatest obstacle to peace in Ukraine. Several Council members are likely to argue that Russia is not genuinely committed to peace, condemning its continued strikes on civilian infrastructure. They may stress that such attacks erode trust, undermine the prospects for a ceasefire, and reflect a lack of good faith in the negotiation process. These members may call on Russia to agree to an immediate, unconditional, and comprehensive ceasefire. They may also reference a report published today (28 May) by the Independent Commission of Inquiry (COI) on Ukraine, which found that Russian drone attacks on civilians in the southern Kherson region of Ukraine constitute both crimes against humanity and war crimes.
Russia, for its part, may reiterate its position at both tomorrow and Friday’s meetings that a ceasefire cannot be achieved without imposing limits on further arms transfers to Ukraine. It is expected to argue that increased military support from Kyiv’s European allies is obstructing progress towards a peaceful resolution. The Kremlin criticised the 26 May announcement by German Chancellor Friedrich Merz that Germany and other key supporters of Ukraine would no longer impose restrictions on the use of weapons supplied to Kyiv, describing the move as detrimental to peace efforts. Friday’s meeting will mark the first Russia-initiated discussion in the Council on arms transfers to Ukraine since 20 December 2024.
