BY Rosemary
The newly appointed head of the U.N. refugee agency said Friday that despite formidable political and military obstacles, diplomacy remains the only viable path to ending the war in Ukraine, warning that humanitarian operations are increasingly overstretched as conflicts multiply around the world.
Barham Salih, who was elected high commissioner of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees in December, made his first official visit to Ukraine since assuming the role. His trip included stops in frontline cities such as Kharkiv and Zaporizhzhia, where communities continue to endure regular bombardment and infrastructure damage.
Speaking in Kyiv after meeting with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Salih acknowledged the deep complexity of ongoing peace efforts but emphasized that a military outcome alone cannot resolve the conflict.
“You have to be hopeful,” he said in an interview. “I do understand the difficulties in the situation, and it’s clear there are many impediments along the way. But at the end of the day, there is no military solution. There needs to be peace — a durable and just peace — so that people can go back to their lives.”
The war, now grinding into another year, has devastated civilian infrastructure and triggered one of the largest displacement crises in Europe since World War II. Russian attacks on Ukraine’s energy grid have intensified during the winter months, compounding hardship for families already struggling with disrupted services and economic uncertainty.
Salih said his discussions with Zelenskyy focused not only on immediate humanitarian needs but also on the longer-term transition from emergency relief to recovery and sustainable solutions. “We discussed the recovery phase and sustainable solutions and self-reliance as we go forward,” he said, underscoring the need to move beyond prolonged dependency on aid.
The scale of displacement remains staggering. According to UNHCR estimates, approximately 3.7 million Ukrainians are internally displaced within the country, while nearly 6 million have fled abroad and are living as refugees across Europe and other regions. Many remain uncertain about when — or whether — they will be able to return home safely.
For 2026, the agency projects that 10.8 million people inside Ukraine will require some form of humanitarian assistance. The most urgent needs are concentrated along the eastern and southern front lines, as well as in northern border regions, where intensified fighting continues to force new waves of displacement.
Yet funding for the Ukraine response has fallen far short of requirements. Of the agency’s $470 million appeal for Ukraine, only $150 million has been pledged to date. Salih said the funding gap reflects a broader contraction in global humanitarian resources, as governments face fiscal pressures and donor fatigue amid overlapping crises.
“This tells you the gap between what is needed and what is available,” he said. “This is not the moment to walk away or look the other way. Vulnerable populations need support, and we should deliver that help.”
The Ukraine appeal competes with other large-scale emergencies, including conflicts in Sudan and Gaza, each demanding significant international assistance. Since taking office, Salih has spent much of his time in the field rather than at UNHCR headquarters in Geneva, visiting refugee-hosting countries such as Kenya, Chad, Turkey and Jordan to assess needs firsthand.
Globally, the number of displaced people has climbed to 117 million, including at least 42 million refugees, according to UNHCR figures cited by Salih. Roughly two-thirds of those displaced are in protracted situations, meaning they have been uprooted for years and remain reliant on humanitarian aid.
The challenge of allocating limited resources across multiple crises has become increasingly acute. Salih described the prioritization process as “very difficult,” noting that each region presents urgent humanitarian requirements and complex political contexts.
Compounding the strain are substantial reductions in U.S. humanitarian funding under President Donald Trump, which have accelerated what aid officials describe as an erosion of global humanitarian infrastructure. The cuts have constrained the capacity of international organizations to scale operations and respond swiftly to emerging needs.
Salih argued that while emergency assistance remains essential, humanitarian agencies must also emphasize durable solutions — including voluntary return when conditions permit, local integration in host countries, and greater economic self-reliance for displaced populations.
“It’s not a matter of sustaining dependency,” he said. “We need to be there to help people, but we also need to look at durable solutions.”
As diplomatic initiatives continue in various international forums, Salih urged renewed efforts to give negotiations a meaningful chance. He acknowledged that the path to a settlement will be fraught with political and security challenges but maintained that a just and lasting peace is indispensable to stabilizing Ukraine and easing the immense human toll of the war.
“Things are not easy — definitely not easy,” he said. “But let’s redouble the effort to ensure diplomacy has a chance and bring about a durable and just peace to a war that has gone on for far too long.”
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