On Tuesday, ahead of his trip to Kyiv, United Nations (UN) Secretary-General António Guterres visited Moscow to meet with President Vladimir Putin and Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov to demand the evacuation of civilians from the besieged Ukrainian port city of Mariupol.
During his meeting with the UN chief, Putin remarked that Guterres was “misinformed” about the working of Russia’s corridors, claiming that around 130,000-140,000 people have left Mariupol with Moscow’s assistance. He emphasised that those who are evacuated through Russia-established corridors “are free to go where they wish,” in Russia or Ukraine. “We do not hold them. They have our all-round assistance and support,” said the Russian president.
Putin meets UN secretary general António Guterres in the Kremlin. The long table is back! pic.twitter.com/zjVkHRFL5v
— max seddon (@maxseddon) April 26, 2022
Putin noted that Russia has halted its military operation in Mariupol’s Azovstal steel plant, where Ukraine’s remaining fighters are being held. He also welcomed the UN and the International Committee for the Red Cross (ICRC) to come and bear witness to Russia’s treatment of Ukrainian prisoners of war.
Regarding his meeting with Foreign Minister Lavrov, Guterres said the two leaders had “a very frank discussion,” which made it clear that there are “two different positions” on the war in Ukraine. He also acknowledged that there is a “violent battle” going on in Donbas, underscoring that it will only lead to more civilian deaths and war crimes. In this regard, Guterres stressed the need to end the war in Ukraine, which he said would be in the best interests of both the Russian and Ukrainian people.
Russians. How to describe this with polite language? Azovstal. Mariupol. 35 air strikes last night. Have no idea how many people, among them civilians, are wounded. Putin said there was no fighting in Mariupol anymore. He needs to burn in hell. pic.twitter.com/oldQpEP38z
— Iuliia Mendel (@IuliiaMendel) April 26, 2022
During a press conference with Lavrov, Guterres proposed the formation of a Humanitarian Contact Group, which would include officials from Russia, Ukraine, and the UN. The group’s primary job would include figuring out how to establish safe evacuation corridors and cease hostilities. To this end, Guterres emphasised the need for coordination between the UN, the Red Cross, and Russian and Ukrainian troops to address the crisis in Mariupol.
A UN spokesperson later confirmed that Russia “in principle” has agreed to establish humanitarian corridors to aid the evacuation of civilians in Mariupol. The UN and the Red Cross will be heavily involved in the evacuations.
Alright, we reportedly have a deal with Putin that the UN and the Red Cross will help evacuate civilians from the Azovstal in Mariupol.
— Illia Ponomarenko 🇺🇦 (@IAPonomarenko) April 26, 2022
If this is a success, those people must be taken to the Ukrainian-controlled territory, such as Zaporizhia.
Not to a Russian “filtration camp”.
Putin also told Guterres that Russia remains open to diplomacy, attempting to dispel recent reports suggesting that Russia has abandoned peace talks with Ukraine and is instead focussing on accruing more territory. “We still hope that we will be able to achieve agreements on the diplomatic track. We are holding negotiations. We do not reject them,” Putin remarked.
The UN chief is set to meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Kyiv on Thursday, which will make him the second world leader to have met both Putin and Zelensky, the first being Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer.