Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Monday blamed the Russian military for failing to evacuate civilians through so-called humanitarian corridors set up following talks between Kiev and Moscow.
“We have agreed on humanitarian corridors. Did they work? “The Russian tanks, the Grands (Russian rocket launchers), the mines were in operation,” Zelensky said in a recorded message uploaded to the Ukrainian presidency’s Telegram account.
He also accused Russian forces of “mining the road agreed to be used to transport food and medicine” to besieged Mariupol in southern Ukraine, and of “destroying buses” to evacuate civilians from war zones.
He accused Russia of “cynicism”, claiming that it had opened “a very small corridor to the occupied territories for a few dozen people”, for “propaganda” purposes, to be shown by “the cameras”.
He noted, however, that negotiations with Moscow would continue. “We are realistic. That is what we will talk about. “We will continue to negotiate until we find a way to tell our people: this is how we came to peace.”
Moscow announced yesterday morning a ceasefire in various locations and the opening of corridors to allow civilians to leave Ukrainian cities under siege, as the humanitarian crisis worsens with each passing day and food is now in short supply.
But Kyiv refused to evacuate civilians to Russia, where four of Moscow’s six corridors were headed, or to Belarus. After new negotiations, Russia announced that today a new ceasefire will take effect locally from 09:00 to leave the civilians. The routes to be followed remain to be approved by the Ukrainian side, he added.
Mr. Zelensky assured in the video that he will not leave the capital, despite the fact that the siege of the Russian forces is tightening and fighting is taking place. “I live here, I live in Kyiv,” he said. “I’m not afraid.” “It is the twelfth night of our struggle (…). We are all here, everyone works. “I am in Kyiv, my team is with me,” he insisted. “Every day that Ukraine is at war creates ‘better conditions,'” he said.
According to the services of the Ukrainian president, all Ukrainian soldiers deployed in missions abroad (Kosovo, DR Congo, Cλεte d’Ivoire, according to Ukrainian media) were recalled to Ukraine to take part in the war.
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