The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) needs to maintain a dialogue with Russia in the context of the conflict in Ukraine. This was announced on February 22 by the Director General of the ICRC, Robert Mardini.
“The current dialogue with Russia is absolutely necessary, because today a full-scale international armed conflict is taking place between the Russian Federation and Ukraine. Both Russia and Ukraine are parties to the Geneva Conventions. They ratified them, and four Geneva Conventions and one additional protocol are applicable in this conflict, ”he quotes “RIA News”.
Mardini called positive the fact that Russia recognizes the applicability of the four Geneva Conventions and one additional protocol, and that Moscow continues the dialogue with the ICRC delegation.
The director general of the committee expressed the hope that this would lead to concrete results in the humanitarian direction.
Earlier in the day, Mardini said that African countries were suffering from a lack of funding, while at the same time Ukraine was supported by a huge number of Western states.
On January 20, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, during a conversation with ICRC President Mirjana Spolyarich, drew attention to the facts of war crimes committed by representatives of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. In particular, he pointed to cases of torture and other crimes committed by the Ukrainian side against captured Russian servicemen.
Western countries have stepped up military and financial support for Ukraine after the start of Russia’s special operation to protect Donbass. The decision on the special operation was made by the President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin against the backdrop of the aggravation of the situation in the region as a result of increased shelling by Ukrainian militants.
For more up-to-date videos and details about the situation in Donbass, watch the Izvestia TV channel.
