Putin demands surrender of Mariupol to stop shelling
Russian President Vladimir Putin said that the shelling of the besieged Ukrainian city of Mariupol would stop only when Ukrainian troops surrendered.
Putin made the comments during an hour-long phone call with French President Emmanuel Macron on Tuesday evening, the Kremlin said in a statement.
But French officials said the Russian leader had agreed to consider plans to evacuate civilians from the city.
Also Read:- Ukrainian Missile Hit a military camp in Russia: Report 30Mar 2022
Russia has since offered a one-day ceasefire for Thursday.
The Defense Ministry said the ceasefire would begin at 1000 local time (0800 BST) and allow people to travel west to Zaporozhye via the Russian-controlled port of Berdyansk.
The ministry said it wanted the Red Cross and the UN refugee agency to take part in the evacuation and said it was awaiting a response to Ukraine’s proposal.
Previous attempts to establish a ceasefire in Mariupol have failed amid accusations of bad faith on both sides. Russia is also accused of forcibly relocating thousands of civilians to Russia or to territories controlled by it.
The announcement came after new satellite photos showed the destruction caused by the shelling.
Also Read:- 5 reasons why Russia is reducing military activity near Kyiv: Report 30Mar 2022
Pictures released by earth observation company Maxar show residential areas reduced to rubble and Russian artillery pieces visible in firing positions on the outskirts of the city.
Officials at the Élysée Palace in France called the situation in the city “catastrophic” and added that “the civilian population must be protected and must leave the city if they so wish. They must have access to food aid, water and essential medicines.”
“This very degraded humanitarian situation is related to the siege of the city by the Russian armed forces,” the statement said.
France, along with Turkey, Greece and several humanitarian groups, presented Putin with a plan to evacuate the city.
Officials said Mr Putin told Mr Macron he would “think” about the proposal.
Also Read:- Could Vladimir Putin be removed from the Russian presidency over Ukraine war?
But in its reading of the call, the Kremlin seems to have assumed that Mr. Putin made no such guarantees.
Russian officials said Putin told the French leader that “in order to resolve the difficult humanitarian situation in this city, Ukrainian nationalist fighters must stop resisting and lay down their arms.”
The statement added that Putin provided Macron with “detailed information about the measures taken by the Russian military to provide emergency humanitarian assistance and ensure the safe evacuation” of civilians from the besieged southeastern city.
Ukraine has accused Russia of forcibly relocating thousands of people from Mariupol to Russian-held territory.
The call followed claims by the mayor of Mariupol that thousands had died in a Russian bombing raid on the port city.
Also Read:- Russia is deploys Wagner group to eastern Ukraine in risky attempt to break deadlock: Report
Vadim Boychenko, who was evacuated from the city, told the Reuters news agency that nearly 5,000 people have died since the Russian shelling began, including about 210 children.
Matilda Bogner, head of the UN human rights mission in Ukraine, told Reuters that she believes “there could be thousands of civilian deaths and casualties in Mariupol.”
The humanitarian organization International Red Cross confirmed reports that one of its warehouses in the city had been hit by Russian shelling and told the BBC that all the supplies in the warehouse had already been distributed.
He added that he no longer had a “team on the ground” and therefore could not comment on the potential extent of casualties or damage.
Putin demands surrender of Mariupol to stop shelling
Also Read:- Russia relocated thousands of Mariupol citizens to its territory: Report 28Mar 2022
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by News East India staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
[…] Putin demands surrender of Mariupol to stop shelling: Report 31Mar 2022 […]