More than 50 UN member states urge Russia to accept full ceasefire in Ukraine

More than 50 UN member states have urged Russia to accept a full and unconditional ceasefire in Ukraine and resume peace talks, as Ukraine marks 35 years since declaring independence from the Soviet Union. The call was made at the UN by Denmark's Foreign Minister Lars Loekke Rasmussen on behalf of countries including the UK, France, Germany, Greece, Canada, North Macedonia, Japan, Ukraine, and the EU.

The statement emphasized that Russia could end the war immediately by accepting the ceasefire sought by Ukraine and the international community for over 18 months, and called for prisoner-of-war exchanges, the release of unlawfully detained people, and the safe return of Ukrainians forcibly transferred or deported, including thousands of children.

The group also warned that the war's effects are spreading beyond Ukraine, with airspace breaches, drone incidents in Europe, and Russian attacks on Black Sea grain shipments and Ukrainian ports threatening global food security.

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