Putin, Erdogan discuss Ukraine humanitarian situation
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Russia and Turkey are discussing the situation in Ukraine in light of the latest humanitarian developments with the United Nations in Kiev and Moscow.
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Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan
Russian President Vladimir Putin discussed with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan the humanitarian situation in Ukraine over a phone call on Thursday, the Kremlin announced.
The Kremlin explained that the two leaders addressed the humanitarian aspects of the situation in Ukraine and Donbass after Ukraine declared a halt to all humanitarian corridors allowing civilians to be evacuated from war-torn regions of the country earlier in the month, citing "dangers".
This was not the first time that Kiev refused to open humanitarian corridors to evacuate its citizens, not to mention its forces' opening fire against those trying to flee war-stricken regions via Russian-sponsored humanitarian corridors.
In early March, Russian President Vladimir Putin drew attention to the fact that Kiev is not fulfilling its agreements regarding the critical humanitarian issue, and the issue persists.
The Kremlin said the talks took place with the results of the talks in Moscow by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres taken into account.
United Nations spokesperson Farhan Haq said on Wednesday the organization was working cooperatively with both Russia and Ukraine on the situation at the Azovstal plant in Mariupol.
"We are working cooperatively with both the authorities in Russia and with the authorities in Ukraine," Haq told a briefing.
The situation at the Azovstal plant, where the Ukrainian forces remaining in Mariupol are holding out, was among the key topics of Tuesday's talks in Moscow between UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and Russian President Vladimir Putin.
The city has been a playground for Ukrainian provocations since the war broke out in the country on February 24. The Russian Defense Ministry had revealed that Ukrainian nationalists in Mariupol used about 150 civilians as human shields and opened fire against DPR fighters from behind the civilians' backs.
