The European Union’s top diplomat, High Representative Josep Borrell, called for the creation of evacuation corridors in Mariupol “immediately with the necessary ceasefire guarantees, from Azovstal and other areas of the city to other parts of Ukraine” in a statement by written this Friday (22).
“Free and safe access for those providing humanitarian assistance must be guaranteed, in accordance with basic human rights principles and international humanitarian law,” he urged.
Borrell praised Ukraine’s “efforts to find a diplomatic solution to the evacuation of civilians”, but said the EU regrets “that Russia is not giving back”.
In the statement, Borrell also highlighted the urgency of the situation, saying:
“For weeks now, the world has witnessed a cruel and illegal attack on Mariupol by Russia, leading to the full-scale destruction of the city, including atrocities against civilians, under the distorted pretext of ‘liberating’ the city.”
“Thousands of its inhabitants were deported to Russia or forcibly relocated to areas not controlled by the Ukrainian government,” he said.
Borrell added that more than 100,000 civilians remain in Mariupol, including about 1,000 who have taken refuge in the Azovstal steelworks and are defended by the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
On Friday, the country’s deputy prime minister, Iryna Vereshchuk, said that no humanitarian corridors should function in the Ukrainian city. According to her, it was not possible to reach an agreement on the withdrawal of civilians with the Russians because of the “danger on the routes”.
“To all those waiting to be evacuated: be patient, please wait!” he wrote on Facebook.
Source: CNN Brasil
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