Panos Moumtzis, the UN's Regional Humanitarian Coordinator for Syria, commented saying "Any (military) operation that takes place at the moment has to take into account to ensure that we don’t see any further displacement."[37] António Guterres, Secretary-General of the UN expressed his "deep concern" at the spiralling violence in Syria a day after Turkey launched an offensive in Kurdish-controlled areas. He said any solution to the conflict needed to respect the sovereignty of the territory and the unity of Syria.[38][39] United Nations Security Council: Russia and the United States vetoed a statement introduced by five European countries (Belgium, France, Germany, Poland and the United Kingdom) condemning Turkey's actions in Syria during a closed-door meeting. The statement has also called on Turkey "to cease the unilateral military action", claiming that the operation threatens progress against the Islamic State.[40]