The Secretary-General of the United Nations (UN), António Guterres, called on Thursday (28) for the opening of evacuation corridors in the Ukrainian city of Mariupol, saying that it is a “crisis within a crisis”.
“Today, the people of Mariupol desperately need such an approach. Mariupol is a crisis within a crisis,” Guterres said in Kiev, speaking at a press conference alongside Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
“Thousands of civilians need assistance to save lives. Many are seniors who need medical care or have limited mobility, they need an escape route from the apocalypse,” she added.
The UN chief met with Zelensky and Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba on Thursday. On Tuesday (26), he visited Moscow, where he met with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Guterres cited the meeting with Putin and said the head of state agreed “in principle” to the involvement of the United Nations and the international committee of the Red Cross in the evacuation of civilians at the Azovstal steelworks in Mariupol.
He added that he had “intense discussions” with Zelensky to make the evacuation of Mariupol a reality.
In a message to the Ukrainian people, Guterres said he wanted them to know that “the world sees, hears and admires their resilience and determination”.
“I also know that words of solidarity are not enough. I am here to focus on local needs and grow operations,” she continued.
He added that the UN Security Council “has not done everything in its power to prevent and end this war” and that failure is “a source of great disappointment, frustration and anger”.
During a press conference with Guterres, Zelensky said he believed the UN Secretary General’s mission would be effective in evacuating civilians in Mariupol.
“It is important that the secretary has raised the issue of the evacuation of civilians from Mariupol”, he pointed out. “Ukraine stands ready to have immediate negotiations on the departure of people from the steel plant, as well as to ensure that the implementation of any agreements to be reached.”
Ukraine’s leader also said: “We believe that part of the secretary’s mission would be effective and we are ready to support him in any matter possible.”
Earlier, the UN chief visited the town of Borodianka and “expressed his sadness to see the destroyed buildings there,” according to Deputy Spokesperson for Secretary-General Farhan Haq.
“He said that war is absurd in the 21st century. War is bad. And when we see these situations, of course our hearts go out to the victims.”
Zelensky: Missiles Hit Kiev During Guterres Visit
Ukrainian officials condemned Russia’s missile attack on Kiev on Thursday, which came as the United Nations Secretary-General ended his visit to the Ukrainian capital.
President Volodymyr Zelensky, in his daily video message, said that “today, immediately after our conversations ended [com Guterres] in Kiev, Russian missiles flew into the city. Five missiles”.
“It says a lot about Russia’s true attitude towards global institutions, about the Russian leadership’s efforts to humiliate the UN and everything that the organization stands for. And so it requires an appropriate and powerful response,” she added.
“Russia’s missile attacks on Ukraine – on Kiev, Fastiv, Odesa, Khmelnytskyi and other cities – prove once again that one cannot relax yet, one cannot think that the war is over. We still need to fight, we need to drive out the occupiers,” added Zelensky.
Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal wrote in a tweet that “during the meeting with Guterres in Kiev, we heard explosions. Russia launched a missile attack on the capital. I am confident that such defiant behavior by the occupier will be duly evaluated by the UN Secretary General. The war in Ukraine is an attack on world security!”
Source: CNN Brasil
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