“There is a very faint hope for negotiations between Russia and Ukraine, but it must be used,” Clément Bon, secretary of state for European affairs, told Inter in France on Thursday, March 10. Discussions are held on Thursday, March 10, in Turkey between the foreign ministers of Russia and Ukraine. This is their first face-to-face meeting since the start of the Russian offensive into Ukraine two weeks ago. “Each diplomatic decision, without being naive, you need to try to understand,” he added.
>> LIVE. War in Ukraine: “Russians are systematically bombing Ukrainian cities,” condemns the head of European diplomacy
The Ukrainian government announced Thursday the opening of seven humanitarian corridors, including one from Mariupol, a major port city in the country’s southeast.
“You should have all your hopes, but unfortunately we have learned to be careful because there were times when the Russians announced these humanitarian corridors and did not follow them.”
Clement Bon
to France Inter
Russian troops shelled a children’s hospital in besieged Mariupol on Wednesday. This caused indignation of the Ukrainian authorities and Westerners. “On a human level, this is unbearable. There will come a time for fairness and qualification, but today is the time for pressure to put an end to this,” Clément Bon reacted.
“We have a dramatic situation, in many cities of Ukraine, attacks on the civilian population are intensifying,” he emphasizes. “This concerns hospitals, kindergartens. We are trying to put maximum pressure on Russia so that the hostilities stop.” Whatever happens, “we don’t want to go to war,” he assures.
“We think it would be bad for Ukraine to return on its own. [l’Otan] in a situation of direct conflict, continues the Secretary of State. This will further worsen the situation, accelerate the mass killings and shelling.” “We support Ukraine militarily, by putting pressure on Russia, we will further strengthen the sanctions,” he concludes. Sanctions are hitting the entire Russian economy, those close to President Putin, Putin himself, and the Central Bank of Russia.”