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 Zelenskyy that during his talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday he received a compromise in principle that the UN would be involved in the construction of 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 said, according to Ukrainian news agency Unian.
Reuters/Ukrainian Armed Forces Images of the steel mill interior released by Ukrainian strike forces
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. According to preliminary information, there were six injured. AFP reporters also recorded detonations.
“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 visits Bucha and Kiev
UN Secretary General Guterres arrived in Kiev after his visit to Moscow.
“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.