At a time when Russia is seeking dialogue with Ukraine, the United Nations is seeking rapprochement between the two countries’ leaders, while the Kremlin opened a humanitarian corridor in Mariupol as the ultimatum for Kiev’s armed forces to leave the guarded city is about to expire.
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United Nations Organization (UN) Secretary-General António Guterres asked Presidents of Russia and Ukraine Vladimir Putin and Vladimir Zelensky to receive him in Moscow and Kyiv, respectively, said representative of the head of the organization Stefan Duzhzharik.
On April 19, the relevant letters were handed over to the Permanent Representatives of Russia and Ukraine.
Dujjarik said that Guterres would like to discuss urgent measures to bring peace to Ukraine and the future of multilateral relations with the two presidents.
On the other hand, Moscow and Kyiv agreed to open a humanitarian evacuation corridor from besieged Mariupol, which will try to remove about 6,000 civilians, mostly women, children and the elderly, from the city in the south of the country.
The deal comes as the ultimatum for Ukrainian troops in Mariupol to surrender expired on Wednesday, with no sign of surrender despite the siege by Russian troops.
In light of this advance of the Russian army, the Kremlin is again urging Ukraine to explore viable options for a bilateral deal, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zajárova said.
“If the Kiev regime fulfills its publicly expressed and confirmed desire for negotiations, it should start looking at viable options to reach an agreement,” Zakharova told reporters.
According to the spokeswoman, the Ukrainian delegation is trying to delay the consultation process by “refusing to act constructively on priority issues and to react quickly to Russian proposals”.