Russia commits to the UN to ensure the safety of Ukrainian civilians

Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov (left) and UN Secretary General Gutteres arrive at the press conference room after their talks on April 26 – Photo: REUTERS

The commitments were made by Lavrov during a joint press conference with United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres in Moscow (Russia) on April 26.

“The United Nations is ready to mobilize all human and logistical resources to save the lives of people in Mariupol,” Guterres said at a press conference, and suggested that Russia work with the Red Cross to help those who are suffering. trapped inside the Azovstal steel plant in Mariupol was cleared.

Russia asserts that the people inside the Azovstal factory are gunmen Ukraine entrenched and accused Kiev of ordering these men not to surrender. Moscow claims to have repeatedly called on those inside to surrender with the promise of ensuring their safety.

According to Secretary-General Guterres, for urgent humanitarian purposes, he proposed the creation of a contact group consisting of representatives of the United Nations, Russia and Ukraine. The group will discuss and discuss the conditions for opening humanitarian corridors for civilians to leave war zones like Mariupol.

Responding at a press conference, Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov affirmed that Moscow is always ready to cooperate with the United Nations and supports finding a solution in Ukraine through negotiations.

“Our main goal is to protect civilians and at this point, we are ready to work with the United Nations to reduce the risks and dangerous impacts to the people,” Lavrov said.

However, according to the Russian diplomat, the current situation in Ukraine is due to the fact that the US and its allies in NATO have pursued the dream of unipolarity and unlimited expansion towards Russian territory.

Also at the press conference, Foreign Minister Lavrov rejected Ukraine’s proposal to hold talks in Mariupol, describing it as an “acting” effort by Kiev, according to Tass news agency. He said Russia was “disappointed” by the behavior of the Ukrainian negotiating team and leader Volodymyr Zelensky.

Secretary General Gutteres is expected to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin after meeting with Mr. Lavrov. Mr. Gutteres’ trip was criticized by Ukraine, who said he should have gone to a country in conflict to understand the situation on the ground.

Before going to Russia, Mr. Gutteres visited Turkey – a country that is acting as a mediator between Russia and Ukraine. As planned, Mr. Gutteres will arrive in Kiev on April 28.