Russia's Humanitarian Corridors For Television Cameras, Says Ukrainian Prez Zelensky
Ukraine argued that people caught in the conflict will not be able to escape as the humanitarian corridors either lead into Russia or its ally Belarus.
New Delhi: Russia said to open humanitarian corridors in Ukraine Tuesday and allow civilians caught in areas of conflict to flee. But Kyiv is not convinced and called the move a publicity stunt, reported news agency AFP.
Ukraine argued that people caught in the conflict will not be able to escape as the humanitarian corridors either lead into Russia or its ally Belarus.
Kyiv also said that Russia has maintained shelling and is increasing its troops and equipment around the main conflict zones.
According to AFP, the Russian defence ministry offered to open humanitarian corridors from Tuesday for people stranded in Ukraine on Kyiv's approval. It also listed routes from the capital Kyiv including Mariupol, Kharkiv and Sumy - main cities of conflict.
The report further states that Ukraine initially did not respond to the Russian offer. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky accused Russia of pulling out of its earlier agreement of providing escapes routes, and planting explosives on roads in order to stop people from moving out.
"There was an agreement on humanitarian corridors. Did that work? Russian tanks worked in its place, Russian Grads (multiple rocket launchers), Russian mines," Zelensky said in a video posted on Telegram, reported AFP.
Zelensky also accused Russian troops of destroying buses deployed to evacuate stranded people in combat zones.
"They ensure that a small corridor to the occupied territory is open for a few dozen people. Not so much towards Russia as towards the propagandists, directly towards the television cameras," Zelensky was further quoted by AFP.
Meanwhile, both Russia and Ukraine have again agreed upon holding peace talks to end the conflict that began on February 24 with the Russian invasion.
The foreign ministers of Russia and Ukraine will meet near the Turkish Mediterranean coastal city of Antalya on Thursday, after Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, offered to broker peace talks between both the countries.
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