“I met people who showed incredible resilience. Their lives continue to worsen, but they live with hope,” said Ursula Mueller, who is also the UN Assistant Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, in a news release.

“Their only wish is for peace, to be able to return home and live a normal life.”

During her three-day visit, Mueller met with officials as well as with those affected by the conflict, witnessing first-hand the human face of the conflict on both sides of the “contact-line,” the news release noted.

The UN Deputy Emergency Relief Coordinator also met with leaders of Donetsk and Luhansk provinces, where she stressed the need for increased cooperation to align relief and development efforts. In meetings with the de facto authorities in Donetsk, she called for sustained humanitarian access to all areas in eastern Ukraine.

The news release also noted that during her meeting with the Deputy Minister of Temporarily Occupied Territories and Internally Displaced Persons, in Kyiv, the challenging situation facing 1.6 million displaced Ukrainians and providing them with services and benefits was discussed.