The president of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), Mirjana Spoljaric Egger, announced on New Year’s Eve that she will soon travel to Russia with the aim of reconciling positions with Moscow on access to Ukrainian prisoners of war in Russian custody.
Asked during an interview with the Swiss newspaper Neue Zürcher Zeitung (NZZ), Spoljaric Egger confirmed her future visit, although she did not specify dates. She also indicated that contacts with Moscow «at all levels» are «relevant».
«We need to be able to obtain security guarantees at the local level in order to be able to send convoys to visit the prisoners. And for that we need contacts in the field,» he said, adding that the ICRC’s role is to remain «neutral» in order to gain the trust of the parties to the conflict with the aim of helping the victims.
Thus, he stressed that it is «important» to deliver humanitarian aid, as this has «a stabilizing effect». «If this is successful, it will be easier to find a peaceful solution,» said the ICRC president.
Russia’s Presidential Council for Civil Society Development and Human Rights on Monday expressed its readiness and commitment to facilitate ICRC members’ access to Ukrainian prisoners of war.
Source: (EUROPA PRESS)
