The Russian military has promised to start a three-day ceasefire on Thursday morning to evacuate civilians from the Azovstal factory site. More than 340 people were evacuated from Mariupol on Wednesday, according to Volodymyr Zelensky.
We gathered the key news from last night and last night in connection with the war in Ukraine.
Zelenskyi asked the UN Secretary-General for help in evacuating Azovstal
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyi asked the UN Secretary-General From António Guterres assistance in evacuating the wounded from the Azovstal factory site in Mariupol.
According to a press release issued by the Zelensky Office on Wednesday night, he and Guterres discussed the matter over the phone.
– The lives of those still in the area are in danger. Everyone is important to us. We ask for your help to save them, Zelensky is quoted as saying to Guterres.
The Russian military has promised to open humanitarian corridors from the steel plant area today from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. The corridors are also scheduled to be open on Fridays and Saturdays, and Russia says its troops are observing a ceasefire in the area during this time.
France and India are calling for an end to the violence
France and India issued a joint statement on Wednesday calling for an “immediate end to the violence” in Ukraine.
The President of France Emmanuel Macron and the Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi in their statement condemned the killing of civilians and expressed concern about the humanitarian crisis in Ukraine. France also condemned the “illegal and unjustified aggression of Russian forces against Ukraine”, but India did not agree with this statement.
India procures a significant portion of its military equipment from Russia, and the country has avoided direct criticism of Russia’s actions.
Macron and Modi, who are currently touring Europe, met in Paris.
More than 300 people were evacuated from Mariupol on Wednesday
Volodymyr Zelensky 344 people were successfully evacuated from the city of Mariupol and its environs in eastern Ukraine on Wednesday. The evacuees were transported to the city of Zaporizhia.
In a video speech late Wednesday, Zelenskyi thanked, among others, the UN and the Red Cross for participating in the evacuation operation. According to him, negotiations to evacuate civilians from both the city of Mariupol and the Azovstal steel plant area are continuing.