OTTAWA --
The Worldwide Committee of the Crimson Cross is asking Canada to not combine guarantees of humanitarian assist in with bulletins about navy assist and sanctions in the case of Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
Lumping guarantees of humanitarian help with navy assist for Ukraine and sanctions towards Russia threatens the neutrality that assist teams require to soundly function there and elsewhere, mentioned ICRC director of operations Dominik Stillhart.
"While you talk publicly, do not lump humanitarian motion along with the remainder of the assist for political causes that you just supply to Ukraine," Stillhart mentioned in an interview on Sunday.
"The hazard is that humanitarian motion could also be perceived as a device or as a weapon in supporting one aspect or the opposite."
Whereas Stillhart didn't determine any particular examples, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Thursday introduced $50 million in extra humanitarian assist for Ukraine alongside new sanctions towards 160 Russian officers.
Trudeau was scheduled to fulfill Sunday with members of Canada's Ukrainian group in Montreal.
Canada has up to now dedicated about $180 million in humanitarian and improvement help to Ukraine since January, with about $30 million directed towards the ICRC and Stillhart predicting extra to return within the close to future.
Stillhart mentioned his group is grateful for Canada's contribution. On the similar time, he mentioned understands the federal government desires to indicate assist for Ukrainians of their time of want, and that he's not criticizing it for having picked a aspect within the battle.
"However what's vital is that humanitarian motion will not be lumped into the conflict effort," he mentioned. "There's at all times a little bit of a bent to say: `Our nation helps militarily in Ukraine, delivering weapons and humanitarian assist."'
ICRC president Peter Maurer was in Moscow final week to fulfill with Russian International Minister Sergey Lavrov for discussions across the safety of civilians in Ukraine. The go to adopted the same cease in Kyiv for conferences with Ukrainian officers.
Whereas the ICRC has since seen questions on Maurer's go to to Moscow, together with from members of Canada's giant Ukrainian diaspora, Stillhart mentioned the power to speak to each side is important to defending lives.
"For them, it is clearly laborious to know as a result of they really feel they're being aggressed and neutrality is a troublesome idea in case you in case you are being aggressed," Stillhart mentioned.
"And but it is crucial, decidedly additionally for the Ukrainian diaspora right here, to know that by remaining impartial in a battle, it lets you function exactly in essentially the most troublesome locations."
Stillhart nonetheless acknowledged that Russia specifically has refused to co-operate in the case of guaranteeing the supply of humanitarian assist and evacuation of civilians from Mariupol and different cities besieged by Russian forces in Ukraine.
"I'd want to see extra co-operation on each side, however particularly additionally from the Russian aspect," he mentioned. "There's zero belief, however we have to see extra co-operation from each side, and I'll say principally from the Russian aspect."
Russia has been accused of intentionally focusing on civilians, significantly as what was alleged to have been a fast invasion has became a slog marked by heavy losses on account of poor planning and a spirited defence by Ukrainian forces.
Stillhart painted a harrowing image of ICRC groups making an attempt with out success to evacuate civilians on a number of events, solely to be rotated and despatched working again for canopy on account of shelling and different assaults.
"We had shells touchdown lower than 50 metres from the street the place we began to accompany a convoy out of Mariupol and it simply needed to flip round as a result of it was not protected," he mentioned.
The ICRC has since pulled its workers from Mariupol, the besieged metropolis in Ukraine's southeast the place an estimated 100,000 Ukrainians stay trapped whilst Russian artillery and rocket assaults proceed pounding it into rubble.
"This staff additionally ran out of meals, water ... spent fairly a while in shelters with households sheltering with them," he mentioned. "They usually lastly simply could not stand it anymore and needed to discover their method out. The testimonies are actually horrifying."
This report by The Canadian Press was first printed March 27, 2022.
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