According to Ukraine, one person was killed in the attack on Thursday. It was the first Russian attack on Kiev in nearly two weeks. A spokesman for UN Secretary-General Guterres said he was “shocked” by the attack.
Guterres met with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow on Tuesday. He then traveled to Ukraine, where on Thursday he also visited several Kiev suburbs where, according to Ukrainian sources, Russian soldiers had committed war crimes.
Intensive work in the Azov steel mill’s escape corridor
Last week, Russia declared the port city of Mariupol conquered and began a siege on steel mills. Ukrainian troops and civilians are hiding in the industrial complex. The UN chief informed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy that during his talks with Putin on Tuesday he received a commitment in principle that the UN would be involved in building such an escape corridor together with the Red Cross. There are now intensive consultations on how the proposal can actually be implemented. We are currently doing “everything possible to make that happen”.
“We expect a humane attitude towards these people from the Russian Federation,” Zelenskyy said after the conversation with Guterres. “We hope that this part of the Secretary-General’s mission will be successful and we will support him in every way.” He believes the siege of the Azov steel mill can be ended and a “successful result” can be achieved in Mariupol, he said, according to the Ukrainian news agency UNIAN.
Reuters/Ukrainian Armed Forces Images of the steel mill interior released by Ukrainian strike forces
On Thursday night, however, Russia rejected a demand for negotiations on a corridor for all steel mill prisoners. “The president said very clearly: civilians can go in any direction, the military must come out and lay down their arms,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told state news agency TASS. They would be guaranteed life and medical care. But nothing else. Moscow does not want to grant them a free withdrawal. There is no subject for negotiations, Peskow said.
AP firefighters/Emilio Morenatti near burning house in Kiev after Russian bombing
Rocket attacks in Kiev
During Guterres’ visit, rockets were fired in Kiev for the first time in about two weeks. Mayor Vitali Klitschko spoke on the Telegram online service about two Russian attacks in the city centre. “At night, the enemy fired on Kiev. Two attacks in the Shevschenkowsky district,” Klitschko explained.
Guterres calls for evacuation of Mariupol
“Rockets hit the center of Kiev during Antonio Guterres’ official visit,” Zelenskyi’s adviser Mykhailo Podoliak wrote on Twitter. “Yesterday he was still sitting at a long table in the Kremlin and today there were explosions above his head. Postcard from Moscow?” he added, glancing at the UN Secretary General. He criticized Russia’s seat on the UN Security Council.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba wrote on Twitter about a “hateful act of barbarism”. Thus, Kiev was targeted with cruise missiles. “Russia has once again shown its attitude towards Ukraine, Europe and the world,” Kuleba wrote.
Guterres also in Bucha
Guterres had also previously visited the Kiev suburb of Bucha, where massacres of civilians caused international outrage. Guterres highlighted his support for an investigation into the crimes by the International Criminal Court (ICC). It is important to “carefully investigate” the horror and hold those responsible to account, Guterres said. He appealed to Russia to cooperate with the court. He also visited the towns of Borodjanka and Irpin, which were also badly hit. Many dead civilians were found in all three cities after Russian troops withdrew.
UN Secretary General Guterres in Ukraine
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Kiev on Thursday. Meanwhile, Russia has again stepped up its attacks in eastern and southern Ukraine.
“War is absurd in the 21st century,” Guterres said in Borodyanka. “I imagine my family in one of these houses that are now destroyed,” Guterres said. “I see my granddaughters running in panic.” There is “no way for war to be acceptable in the 21st century”.
On Tuesday in Moscow
The UN chief met with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow on Tuesday. He also held talks with Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. According to the UN, at the meeting Putin agreed in principle to involve the UN and the Red Cross in rescuing civilians from the Azov steelworks. A spokesperson said after the meeting that follow-up talks were planned between the Russian Defense Ministry and the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.
Guterres proposed forming a trilateral group to solve humanitarian problems in Ukraine, made up of representatives from the UN, Kiev and Moscow. This contact group can guarantee the safety of the escape corridors, said the Portuguese. At the press conference with the UN Secretary-General, Lavrov stressed that Russia was, in principle, in favor of a negotiated solution. However, it is currently “too early” to talk about mediators in the process.