UN Chief Antonio Guterres to meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy

Kathmandu: United Nations secretary-general Antonio Guterres will meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba in Kyiv today. Mr Guterres is also expected to make a field visit.

He arrived in Ukraine following talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow. In a tweet, the UN chief said they will continue their work to expand humanitarian support and secure the evacuation of civilians from conflict zones. The sooner this war ends, the better for the sake of Ukraine, Russia, and the world, Mr Guterres added.

Earlier, the UN chief met the Russian President in the Kremlin to discuss the situation in Ukraine.

According to a statement on his meeting with President Putin, Mr Guterres reiterated the UN’s position on Ukraine, and they discussed the proposals for humanitarian assistance and evacuation of civilians from conflict zones, namely in relation to the situation in Mariupol.

UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said they agreed in principle that the UN and the International Committee of the Red Cross should be involved in the evacuation of civilians from the Azovstal steel complex.