Ukraine to host UN mission to study humanitarian, mine removal needs

A United Nations mission to stabilize the situation in Donbas will begin work on Jan. 23, reported on Jan. 18 Ukraine’s permanent representative to the United Nations. The mission will include members of the UN Development Program, the UN Children’s Fund and the UN Mine Action Service, the report said. It will meet with officials in Kyiv and travel to Donbas to study local needs, including mine removal, the report said.

Zenon Zawada: This mission doesn’t seem to have any relation to the Ukrainian government’s ongoing campaign to appeal to the UN leadership to introduce peacekeepers in the occupied territory of Donbas, which is a military matter. Ukraine’s representative to the UN said on Jan. 7 it’s trying to organize a group of representatives of UN Security Council members to visit Donbas and convince them of the need for a peacekeeping mission. However, we view it as unlikely that the UN will decide to become involved in such a messy armed conflict, where the risks are great.