GENEVA: Fuel, cash and medical supplies are running low in parts of Ukraine after Russia’s invasion, which could drive up to 5 million people to flee abroad, UN aid agencies said on Friday.
At least 100,000 people are uprooted in Ukraine after fleeing their homes since Russia launched its assault on Thursday, while several thousand have already crossed into neighboring countries including Moldova, Romania and Poland, UN refugee agency spokesperson Shabia Mantoo said.
“We are looking at ranges of 1-3 million into Poland for example ... A scenario of 1 to 5 million including all surrounding countries,” Afshan Khan, UNICEF’s regional director for Europe and Central Asia, told a UN briefing in Geneva.
Missiles pounded the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv on Friday as Russian forces pressed their advance. Air raid sirens wailed over the city of 3 million people, where some were sheltering in underground metro stations
“As we speak, there have been major attacks in Kyiv that have created great fear and panic among the population with families really scared, moving alongside their children into subways and shelters. This is clearly a terrifying moment for children across the country,” Khan told the briefing.
“We are still trying to see which civilian infrastructure in Ukraine has been hit where,” she said.
UNICEF was focusing on cash assistance to families, she said. The effect of Western sanctions, which have been imposed on Russia, will be analyzed in terms of the aid pipeline, she said.
UN human rights office spokesperson Ravina Shamdasani said that it had reports of at least 127 civilian casualties in Ukraine — 25 killed and 102 injured — “caused by shelling and air strikes.” This was likely a significant under-estimate, she said.
Jarno Habicht, WHO representative in Ukraine, speaking by video from Kyiv, said that it had no reports from hospitals but was trying to monitor casualties and needs.
The priority is to provide treatment for the wounded as well as mental health and psychological support, he said.
Invasion could drive 5 million Ukrainians to flee abroad — UN
https://arab.news/jc2hz
Invasion could drive 5 million Ukrainians to flee abroad — UN
- At least 100,000 people are uprooted in Ukraine after fleeing their homes since Russia launched its assault on Thursday
- “A scenario of 1 to 5 million including all surrounding countries,” UNICEF’s regional director for Europe and Central Asia told a UN briefing in Geneva
Trump renews push to annex Greenland
- President Donald Trump doubled down Sunday on his claim that Greenland should become part of the United States, despite calls by Denmark’s prime minister to stop “threatening” the territory
COPENHAGEN: President Donald Trump doubled down Sunday on his claim that Greenland should become part of the United States, despite calls by Denmark’s prime minister to stop “threatening” the territory.
Washington’s military intervention in Venezuela has reignited fears for Greenland, which Trump has repeatedly said he wants to annex, given its strategic location in the Arctic.
While aboard Air Force One en route to Washington, Trump reiterated the goal.
“We need Greenland from the standpoint of national security, and Denmark is not going to be able to do it,” he said in response to a reporter’s question.
“We’ll worry about Greenland in about two months... let’s talk about Greenland in 20 days.”
Over the weekend, the Danish prime minister called on Washington to stop “threatening its historical ally.”
“I have to say this very clearly to the United States: it is absolutely absurd to say that the United States should take control of Greenland,” Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said in a statement.
She also noted that Denmark, “and thus Greenland,” was a NATO member protected by the agreement’s security guarantees.
’Disrespectful’
Trump rattled European leaders by attacking Caracas and grabbing Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro, who is now being detained in New York.
Trump has said the United States will now “run” Venezuela indefinitely and tap its huge oil reserves.
Asked in a telephone interview with The Atlantic about the implications of the Venezuela military operation for mineral-rich Greenland, Trump said it was up to others to decide.
“They are going to have to view it themselves. I really don’t know,” Trump was quoted as saying.
He added: “But we do need Greenland, absolutely. We need it for defense.”
Hours later, former aide Katie Miller, the wife of Trump’s most influential adviser, drew ire by posting an image of Greenland in the colors of the US flag, captioning it “SOON.”
Greenland’s Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen called Miller’s post “disrespectful.”
“Relations between nations and peoples are built on mutual respect and international law — not on symbolic gestures that disregard our status and our rights,” he wrote on X.
But he also said “there is neither reason for panic nor for concern. Our country is not for sale, and our future is not decided by social media posts.”
Allies?
Stephen Miller is widely seen as the architect of much of Trump’s policies, guiding the president on his hard-line immigration policies and domestic agenda.
Denmark’s ambassador to the United States, Jesper Moeller Soerensen, offered a pointed “friendly reminder” in response to Katie Miller’s post that his country has “significantly boosted its Arctic security efforts” and worked together with Washington on that.
“We are close allies and should continue to work together as such,” Soerensen wrote.
Katie Miller was deputy press secretary under Trump at the Department of Homeland Security during his first term.
She later worked as communications director for then-vice president Mike Pence and also acted as his press secretary.
