One of the states has declared its readiness to become a patron for Ukrainians in Russia under the Geneva Conventions. This was announced by Foreign Minister Andriy Sibiga.
Although the minister did not disclose which country it was, he noted that this readiness was voiced during a meeting this week in Canada.
‘We are working to make this possible,’ Sibiga said.
A patron state is a country that performs the diplomatic functions of another state, usually in cases of severed diplomatic relations. In wartime, such a country also provides protection for prisoners of war and civilians in occupied territories.
On 30-31 October, a conference on the humanitarian aspects of the ‘peace formula’ was held in Montreal, bringing together representatives of more than 70 countries and international organisations. It was the ninth and final meeting of this format, which has been held since August, after the Peace Summit.
Following the meeting, the participants adopted a joint communiqué. As noted by the Office of the President of Ukraine, one of the important issues of this document was the involvement of intermediary countries that will help Ukraine in the process of returning military, civilians and children from Russia.
It was also proposed that with the help of such intermediaries, mechanisms should be created to allow Ukrainians in Russia to receive consular support.
