Russian president vladimir putin agreed to the involvement of the UNO and the International Committee of Red Cross in the evacuation of civilians from the Azovstal, said the UN spokesman, Stephane Dujarrik.
He reported that during a tete-a-tete in Moscow on 26 April 2022, president of the rf vladimir putin and UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, discussed the proposals for humanitarian assistance and evacuation of civilians from the zone of battles in relation to the situation in Mariupol.
Putin refused to give any security guarantees for Ukraine to the Secretary-General.
“The president has agreed in principle to the involvement of UNO and the International Committee of Red Cross in the evacuation of civilians from the Azovstal plant in Mariupol,” is said in the statement.
“Follow-on discussions will be held with the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs and the russian defense ministry,” said Dujarrik.
Earlier, the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, said that he hopes Guterres’ visit to Moscow and then to Kyiv is “about real help and not about political tourism”. Zelenskyy also uttered his expectation of full support from the UN Secretary-General. He also announced the potential Guterres’ visit to the places of Ukrainians’ torments by the russian soldiers.
After his visit to the rf the UN Secretary-General will visit Ukraine. In Kyiv he is expected to meet with Volodymyr Zelenskyy.