Interview: China's initiative outlines priorities on solving humanitarian issue in Ukraine, ICRC president says

A man walks past a damaged building in Mariupol, April 1, 2022. (Photo by Victor/Xinhua)

"I certainly appreciate all the efforts undertaken by China and many other countries in order to bring relief to the sufferings of the civilian population. These are important efforts and need to be supported," said President of the International Committee of the Red Cross Peter Maurer .

MOSCOW, April 2 (Xinhua) -- President of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) Peter Maurer has positively assessed China's six-point initiative on the humanitarian situation in Ukraine, as it has pointed to "the top priorities for humanitarian actors."

The positions of the ICRC and China share "a lot of similarities," Maurer told Xinhua in a recent interview in Moscow, after he visited Ukraine and Russia.

China's six-point initiative calls for making sure that humanitarian operations abide by the principles of neutrality and impartiality; giving full attention to the displaced persons in and from Ukraine; ensuring the protection of civilians; providing for safe and smooth humanitarian aid activities; providing for the safety of foreign nationals in Ukraine; and supporting the United Nations' coordinating role in channeling humanitarian aid, as well as the work of the U.N. crisis coordinator for Ukraine.

Maurer said that the humanitarian situation in Ukraine is very serious and a large number of people displaced or trapped in areas of conflict are in urgent need of food, water, health and sanitation services, while the ICRC and the whole Red Cross Movement are trying to solve this problem.

Humanitarian aid supplies sent by the Red Cross Society of China to the Ukrainian Red Cross Society are loaded in Warsaw, Poland, March 15, 2022. (Xinhua/Chen Chen)

China cares about the sufferings of civilians in Ukraine, and the Chinese government and the Red Cross Society of China have provided batches of humanitarian aid supplies to Ukraine.

"I certainly appreciate all the efforts undertaken by China and many other countries in order to bring relief to the sufferings of the civilian population. These are important efforts and need to be supported," Maurer said.

He praised the international community for financing humanitarian activities since the start of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, adding that China has made a "noticeable" contribution.

Maurer expressed concerns that a large number of people are trapped close to the front line or in urban areas where heavy shelling is reported, calling it essential for all parties to negotiate an agreement on the evacuation of civilians.

He said that the ICRC aims to raise its budget for Ukraine this year and will send specialists, in addition to humanitarian aid supplies, to Ukraine to repair the damaged water supply, medical and sanitation facilities.