Russian drones and missiles struck Ukrainian cities on Tuesday, killing at least ten people and wounding around a hundred. The barrages hit Kyiv and Dnipro, sending fireballs above high-rise buildings and forcing residents into subway stations for shelter, with four killed and 58 injured in Kyiv alone. Six more died, and 36 were wounded, in Dnipro, while a child was among ten people hurt in Kharkiv. These numbers, as gruesome as they are, risk blending into the grim routine of a war now entering its fifth year.
\nWhat makes this attack especially disturbing is not only the scale of violence but the way it exposes the failure of conflict prevention. Kyiv had warned of a \u201cmassive strike\u201d and urged its defenders to remain on alert. Yet warnings are not prevention, especially when wars become a predictable cycle of attack, retaliation and condemnation.
\nPakistan\u2019s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Ambassador Asim Iftikhar Ahmad, addressed this complacency during Monday\u2019s General Assembly debate on strengthening mediation. \u201cConflicts are not inevitable. They are often the result of diplomacy delayed, dialogue denied, and disputes left to fester,\u201d he told delegates, reminding them that the UN\u2019s first responsibility is not only to respond after wars erupt but \u201cto prevent them before they consume lives, regions and generations.\u201d
\nThe longer the Russian?Ukrainian war grinds on, the more opportunities the world squanders to stop its momentum. Each missile that slams into a Ukrainian apartment block is a failure not only of Moscow\u2019s obligations under international law but of collective diplomacy to impose a political solution before escalation becomes the norm.
\nPakistan\u2019s recent experience shows that, no matter how grim the outlook, mediation can still make a difference. During her recent visit to Islamabad, European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas called Pakistan a \u201cmajor regional power\u201d and praised its role in mediating between the US and Iran. This appreciation is no longer confined to one capital or one diplomatic statement, as the country\u2019s role as a responsible facilitator is being acknowledged across all corners.
\nAt the same time, Kallas cautioned that short-term de-escalation was not enough. Talks, she noted, must address Iran\u2019s nuclear stockpile and other critical issues if lasting stability is to be achieved. Her acknowledgement underscored a larger truth: proactive mediation is often quiet, unglamorous and slow, but it can avert regional catastrophes.
\nThe same urgency must now be brought to Ukraine, Sudan, Myanmar and most painfully, Gaza. If it is to mean anything, mediation must be rooted in civilian protection, international law and the political courage to speak before the next city burns.
\nWhen Russian missiles slam into Ukrainian cities, condemnation is necessary but insufficient. The world does not need more eloquent statements after the dead are counted. It needs determination to make such attacks impossible.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Russian drones and missiles struck Ukrainian cities on Tuesday, killing at least ten people and wounding around a hundred. The barrages hit Kyiv and Dnipro, sending fireballs above high-rise buildings and forcing residents into subway stations for shelter, with four killed and 58 injured in Kyiv alone. Six more died, and 36 were wounded, in […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-549451","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","category-editorial"],"yoast_head":"\n