Ukraine has called Moscow’s plan to let residents of several Ukrainian cities flee in corridors to Russia and Belarus an “immoral” stunt as the two sides reported little progress from a third round of talks.
Russia’s announcement early on Monday of a plan to create “humanitarian corridors” for civilians to evacuate Kharkiv, Mariupol and the capital, Kyiv, came after two days of failed ceasefires to allow civilians to escape the besieged city of Mariupol, where hundreds of thousands are trapped without food and water.
According to maps published by the Russian state news agency RIA, the corridor from Kyiv would lead to Russia’s ally Belarus, while civilians from Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second biggest city, would be directed to Russia.
A spokesperson for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called the move “completely immoral”, saying Russia was trying to “use people’s suffering to create a television picture”.
“They are citizens of Ukraine, they should have the right to evacuate to the territory of Ukraine,” the spokesperson told the Reuters news agency.
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which has been condemned around the world, has sent more than 1.7 million Ukrainians fleeing abroad, according to the United Nations. It has triggered sweeping sanctions that have abruptly isolated Russia to a degree never before experienced by such a large economy.
Moscow has said it is conducting a “special military operation” targeting Ukraine’s military infrastructure.
Ukrainian refugees continue to pour into neighbouring countries, including Poland, Romania and Moldova.
