Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk said that a evacuation corridor for Mariupol was not opened Sunday because the Russian side did not guarantee a ceasefire, APA reports citing CNN.
"We could not open humanitarian corridor for Mariupol, as Russia did not confirm the guarantee of a ceasefire regime," Vereshchuk said in remarks on national television. "We will try again tomorrow."
Vereshchuk expressed hope that the United Nations could broker a humanitarian evacuation, saying, "I think the UN should have been and should be the most effective now [in providing evacuation corridors]. António Guterres, the UN Secretary-General, is going to visit Moscow sometime around April 26. We are not asking anymore, we are demanding the UN ensure a ceasefire regime and providing a humanitarian corridor from Azovstal [a steel factory that is a last stronghold for Ukrainian forces] — it's important to emphasize this, and from Mariupol as well — because there are currently 1,000 women and children in Azovstal now. Plus 500 or more wounded, 50 of whom require urgent medical care. And this is what Mr. Guterres should say in Moscow if he considers talking about peace."
Guterres is expected to travel to Moscow Tuesday. The UN secretary-general is also expected to travel next week to Ukraine, where he is expected to meet with President Zelensky on Thursday, according to a UN spokesperson.
The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) on Sunday said that "immediate and unimpeded humanitarian access" to the besieged Ukrainian city of Mariupol is "urgently needed."
Follow us on Telegram
t.me/apanewsaz
Follow us on Instagram
Follow us on Facebook
Follow us on Twitter
