Note: Full coverage of today's Security Council meeting on Ukraine will be available Friday, 30 May.

Rather than progress towards peace following direct negotiations between the Russian Federation and Ukraine in Istanbul earlier in May, the Security Council heard today that the month’s closing days have instead witnessed Moscow intensify attacks on its neighbour.

“Instead of steps towards peace, we have witnessed a brutal surge in large-scale Russian attacks across the country,” reported Rosemary DiCarlo, Under-Secretary-General for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs. Following three consecutive nights of Russian Federation attacks on Ukrainian cities and towns with “record numbers” of long-range missiles and drones, she said that another attack on 26 May — which employed 355 drones — was, according to Ukrainian officials, the largest drone attack on Ukraine since the start of Moscow’s full-scale invasion.  “This topped the previous record from the night before,” she observed.

She added that, on 17 May — hours after delegations from Moscow and Kyiv met in Istanbul — a Russian Federation drone strike on a bus reportedly killed nine civilians and injured seven others.  “The overall security situation so far in 2025 is significantly worse than in the same period last year,” she emphasized.  She also noted that, according to the Russian Federation Foreign Ministry, Russian civilians have been killed and injured by Ukrainian strikes.  “If confirmed, these figures serve as a vivid reminder of the rising civilian toll of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine — most egregiously in Ukraine, but also increasingly in the Russian Federation itself.”

Yet, she noted that this latest escalation follows some “significant” diplomatic developments, including the first direct negotiations in three years in Istanbul on 16 May and the recent exchange of 1,000 prisoners of war on each side.  While the hope that the parties will be able to negotiate is “still alive, but just barely”, she stressed that “serious, demonstrable and good-faith efforts are needed”.  A full, immediate and unconditional ceasefire is one such effort and, while a peace process will not be easy and will take time, it cannot wait.  “The people of Ukraine, especially, cannot wait,” she said.

Detailing their plight was Lisa Doughten, Director of the Financing and Partnerships Division in the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs: “There is no respite for civilians in Ukraine.”  She noted the extreme strain on healthcare in conflict zones like Kharkiv and Donetsk, with over 200 verified attacks on medical facilities in 2025.  Further, more than 3.7 million people have been displaced, including over 5,000 newly so just last week due to escalating violence.  “The humanitarian response continues to serve as a vital lifeline for millions,” she observed.

Also voicing concern over the 1.5 million civilians in areas occupied by the Russian Federation, she cautioned:  “These communities remain largely out of reach for humanitarian actors — not due to a lack of capacity or will, but because of persistent impediments to humanitarian access.”  Nevertheless, 440 humanitarian organizations have provided life-saving assistance to 3.1 million people across Ukraine despite escalating challenges.  But only a quarter of the $2.6 billion needed for 2025 has been funded, forcing cuts in essential services.  She warned:  “Without urgent support, core programmes risk being suspended — just as needs are rising.”

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