President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy met with President of the International Committee of the Red Cross Peter Maurer. This happened a hundred days after the ceasefire agreements, which had a positive effect on the security situation in Donbas.
The Head of State thanked the President of the ICRC for his visit to Ukraine, as well as for his willingness to visit Donbas on both sides of the delimitation line.
"To feel what is happening in Donbas, you need to be there. It is important that you understand that you need to be on both sides of the touch line," the President said.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy also thanked Peter Maurer for the continuous humanitarian aid provided to Ukraine by the Red Cross. It turned out to be especially important for our state after the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, the President of Ukraine stated.
"Thanks for the help. It is very tangible and important for Ukrainians both in the controlled part and in the temporarily occupied territory. Thank you for the humanitarian aid," he said.
Separately, the Head of State noted the ICRC's assistance in the operation of the Water of Donbas enterprise, which provides drinking water to Ukrainians on both sides of the delimitation line.
President of the International Committee of the Red Cross Peter Maurer said that Ukraine is the most important among all European countries in the operational activities of the ICRC and the eighth largest country in the world in terms of the volume of the organization’s work.
He noted the importance of his visit to Donbas, in particular to the occupied part. After all, this will allow seeing the real situation in the region.
"I want to emphasize our commitment to continue our activities in Ukraine and help the civilian population," the President of the ICRC stressed.
The parties discussed in detail the necessity to ensure access to the detainees in the temporarily occupied territories for the International Committee of the Red Cross, as it will help identify illegally detained persons.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy thanked the ICRC for coordinating the previous processes of mutual release of detainees and asked for assistance in obtaining the lists of people from the other side to speed up the exchange according to the "all for all" formula. Peter Maurer assured that today these issues are a priority for the organization he heads.
The actions of the Ukrainian party to set up convenient points for crossing the touch line were also positively assessed. In particular, the restoration of the drawbridge in Stanytsia Luhanska, the establishment of the checkpoint and plans to open new, equally comfortable checkpoints in Shchastya and Zolote.
In addition, the parties discussed the demining process in Donbas. The ICRC President stressed that Ukraine is one of the most mine studded areas in the world, which will have an impact for many years to come. And this is the reason why the International Committee of the Red Cross is involved in demining activities.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that preparations for the demining of 19 agreed sites have been discussed in detail within the Trilateral Contact Group, and technical details are being agreed upon.
The ICRC President also praised the adoption of the law on missing persons and assured of the organization’s support and assistance in this process.