By Gegee Brima
NEW YORK – Liberia has renewed its commitment to Ukraine’s sovereignty, independence, and territorial integrity, urging an immediate ceasefire and intensified diplomatic engagement to bring an end to the ongoing war.
Liberia’s position was presented by its Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Ambassador Lewis G. Brown II, during a United Nations Security Council briefing on Monday focused on the maintenance of international peace and security in Ukraine.
Addressing the Council, Ambassador Brown emphasized that any lasting resolution to the conflict must respect Ukraine’s internationally recognized borders and comply with the principles of the United Nations Charter and international law.
He condemned attacks against civilians and civilian infrastructure, calling on all parties to observe international humanitarian law and ensure the protection of non-combatants.
The Liberian envoy specifically identified hospitals, schools, and infrastructure necessary for civilian survival as facilities that must remain protected from attacks.
He also called for the International Committee of the Red Cross to be granted unrestricted access to prisoners of war in accordance with the Geneva Conventions. Additionally, he stressed that humanitarian workers must be allowed to operate safely and deliver assistance to affected populations without unnecessary restrictions or delays.
On humanitarian cooperation, Liberia welcomed the role of U.S. First Lady Melania Trump in facilitating engagement between Russian and Ukrainian representatives that helped make a humanitarian operation possible. Ambassador Brown also recognized her involvement in efforts to reunite children separated from their families.
He said such initiatives should serve as a foundation for broader and sustained humanitarian cooperation between the parties.
According to the Ambassador, future arrangements should prioritize safe and voluntary evacuations, assistance for civilians remaining in conflict-affected areas, improved humanitarian access on both sides of the front line, and further exchanges of prisoners of war, alongside the release of civilians held unlawfully.
Brown urged Russia and Ukraine, as well as international actors facilitating communication between them, to take advantage of existing diplomatic channels to negotiate humanitarian arrangements and pursue meaningful discussions toward ending the conflict.
He stressed that humanitarian commitments must translate into practical action capable of reducing civilian suffering and creating conditions for a lasting political settlement.
Concluding his remarks, the Liberian diplomat underscored that civilians in Ukraine and those in the Russian Federation affected by the conflict deserve an opportunity to live without recurring violence, displacement, and uncertainty.
Liberia’s intervention reflects its call for respect for national sovereignty, protection of civilian populations, adherence to international humanitarian obligations, and renewed diplomatic efforts to achieve a peaceful resolution to the conflict.
