I welcome the publication of the latest report from the United Nations on the human rights situation in Ukraine. It is vital for us to have an overview of the facts from an independent source. Without them, there can be no objective analysis of the situation.

I am worried by the report’s findings that human rights abuses are increasingly affecting the civilian population, and in particular women and children, the longer the armed clashes continue. The manifest rise in the number of killings and enforced disappearances in connection with the conflict is particularly disturbing.

I call on all parties to the conflict in Ukraine to protect human rights in full and to take action against human rights abuses.