UPDATE - UN chief, Ukrainian foreign minister discuss war's 'devastating' impacts on civilians

ADDS UKRAINIAN FOREIGN MINISTER'S REMARKS

By Diyar Guldogan

WASHINGTON (AA) – UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba met on Friday in New York to discuss the ongoing war's "devastating" impact on civilians and critical infrastructure.

"The Secretary-General underlined the UN’s ongoing efforts to provide humanitarian assistance to vulnerable communities," Guterres' spokesman Stephane Dujarric told the reporters.

Guterres reiterated the UN’s full commitment to the sovereignty, independence, and territorial integrity of Ukraine within its internationally recognized borders, he added.

Guterres also underlined the UN’s support for a just and lasting peace in line with the UN Charter, international law, and relevant UN General Assembly Resolutions, Dujarric added.

The meeting came before the war is set to enter its third year on Feb. 24.

Kuleba, for his part, thanked Guterres for the UN's participation in the Peace Formula discussions and emphasized the importance of continued efforts to advance peace for Ukraine.

"We also talked about ways to broaden the geography of support for the Peace Formula as we prepare for the Global Peace Summit in Switzerland".

"I also emphasized the urgent need to use all available instruments, and, if necessary, develop new ones, to address the issue of sexual violence perpetrated by Russian troops in Ukraine, as well as the release of civilian detainees held in Russian captivity," he said on X.

He added that Guterres assured him to follow up on this matter.

Earlier, Kuleba addressed the UN General Assembly meeting on the situation in the "temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine," where he said the scale of the war and its global implications are "enormous," as well as the suffering of Ukrainians.