Ministry of Health of Ukraine: visits by WHO senior leadership to the russian federation are unacceptable amid the ongoing aggression against Ukraine

The Ministry of Health of Ukraine expresses its profound concern regarding the visit of Hans Kluge, the Regional Director for Europe of the World Health Organization (WHO), to Moscow and his meeting with Serhii Lavrov, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the russian federation, on June 16, 2025.

The Ministry of Health of Ukraine deems such visits unacceptable under the present circumstances. Interactions with representatives of the aggressor state risk weakening the diplomatic isolation of the russian federation, undermining the authority of international institutions, including the WHO, and calling into question the principled position on the protection of international humanitarian law.

While Ukrainian medical professionals are saving lives amidst airstrikes, in bombed-out hospitals, and with their own lives constantly at risk, any gestures toward “normalizing” relations with a state that systematically targets the healthcare system appear as an attempt to turn a blind eye to evident war crimes. As of early June 2025, a total of 2,354 sites at 769 medical facilities have been documented as damaged or destroyed. Many of them continue to operate in high-risk zones, where medical personnel are killed or injured in the line of duty.

Such meetings could have served as an opportunity for a firm and principled dialogue on the inadmissibility of attacks on civilian medical infrastructure, including the shelling of hospitals, the destruction of medical transport, and the resulting injuries and fatalities among both patients and healthcare personnel. It must be unequivocally stated that the continued detention of Ukrainian prisoners of war in inhumane conditions without medical care is a gross violation of the Geneva Conventions.

In the current context, any display of “business as usual” in interactions with the russian federation sets a dangerous precedent of tolerating crimes against humanity and undermines trust in the international community. 

russia seeks to exploit the authority of the WHO to legitimize its international standing by promoting the illusion of “dialogue restoration” and presenting visits by United Nations (UN) officials as a sign of normalization of its status.

The Ministry of Health of Ukraine urges the WHO to maintain a clear and consistent position by publicly condemning attacks on healthcare facilities, medical transport, healthcare workers, and patients. Given the current circumstances, all official visits to the russian federation should be suspended. Instead, priority should be given to strengthening cooperation with Ukrainian institutions to restore medical infrastructure, provide psychosocial support, and rehabilitate those affected by the war.

The visit to Moscow contradicts the course that the WHO, along with the majority of its Member States, has consistently followed over the past three years. Since the onset of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine by the russian federation, the WHO has repeatedly demonstrated a clear position on the inadmissibility of aggression against civilians and attacks on the healthcare system. 

Since 2022, the World Health Assembly and the WHO Regional Committee for Europe have adopted five resolutions and decisions addressing the health emergency in Ukraine as well as in countries receiving and hosting refugees due to the russian federation’s aggression. In May 2023, the Member States of the European Region supported the decision to close the WHO  European Office for the Prevention and Control of Noncommunicable Diseases (‎NCD Office)‎ in Moscow and relocate it to Copenhagen, Denmark, despite opposition from russia. This step demonstrated that Member States are unwilling to tolerate aggression, even in matters of technical cooperation.

These actions confirm that the international community does not accept aggression as the norm.