Ukraine is currently negotiating the evacuation of 60 people from Azovstal in Mariupol, where the Ukrainian military has been holding the line for more than two months despite being surrounded by russian troops.
Deputy Prime Minister - Minister for Reintegration of the Temporarily Occupied Territories Iryna Vereshchuk confirmed the number of the number of people which is currently being negotiated, Suspilne reports.
Earlier, she stressed that the talks are difficult.
"There are several hundred wounded, they must be rescued in the first place, because the russians do not agree on all of them at once. So, first seriously injured and doctors, there are 60 people indeed," - said Vereshchuk.
On May 12, Vereshchuk said talks were in progress to release 38 severely wounded Azovstal fighters. In addition to Azov fighters, there are the people from the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the National Guard, Border Guards, Security Service fighters, police and the territorial defense forces.
The severely wounded could be evacuated from Azovstal with the mediation of Turkey. Vereshchuk stressed that it was impossible to unblock Azovstal by military means, so the invaders were offered an exchange "according to standard rules": Ukraine exports severely wounded defenders along a humanitarian corridor, instead giving russian prisoners of war to russia according to standard rules of prisoner exchange.
The leader of the Crimean Tatar people, Mustafa Dzhemilev, said that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan had asked putin to allow Azovstal's defenders to be taken to Turkey through the port of Berdyansk. But russia rejected the proposal.