UNITED NATIONS, April 5 — UN aid chief Martin Griffiths, who is seeking a humanitarian truce in Ukraine, said "we have a long road ahead of us” after meeting with Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in Moscow yesterday.

"Perilous conditions are hampering our efforts to access civilians - or for them to access us. Civilians must be allowed to move to safer areas without the fear of attacks,” Griffiths told the UN Security Council today. He said he hopes to travel to Ukraine on Wednesday to meet with Ukrainian officials.

Russia invaded Ukraine on Feb. 24. Russia says it is carrying out a "special military operation” that aims to destroy Ukraine’s military infrastructure and "denazify” it. Ukraine says it was invaded without provocation.

More than 4 million Ukrainians have fled the country, the United Nations said.

Griffiths said at least 1,430 civilians have been killed, including more than 121 children. "We know this is likely a serious underestimate,” he added.

UN political affairs chief Rosemary DiCarlo said the United Nations had received credible allegations "that Russian forces have used cluster munitions in populated areas at least 24 times.” She said allegations that Ukrainian forces have used such weapons were also being investigated.

"Allegations of conflict-related sexual violence perpetrated by Russian forces have also emerged. These include gang rape and rapes in front of children,” she said. "There are also claims of sexual violence by Ukrainian forces and civil defense militias.”

She said the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine was seeking to verify all allegations.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned the Security Council that Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is one of the greatest challenges ever to the international order "because of its nature, intensity, and consequences.”

Guterres said the war was putting even more pressure on the developing world, with more than 1.2 billion people particularly vulnerable to spiking food, energy and fertilizer costs.

"We are already seeing some countries move from vulnerability into crisis, and signs of serious social unrest,” he added. — Reuters