Alona Mazurenko – Tuesday, 26 April 2022, 20:02 At a long negotiating table, Russian President Vladimir Putin told UN Secretary-General António Guterres that he was counting on “an agreement with Ukraine on the diplomatic track.” Source: pro-Kremlin media RIA Novosti According to Putin: “Russia expects to reach an agreement with Ukraine on the diplomatic track. We are holding negotiations and not abandoning them. In addition, we managed to achieve a major breakthrough in the talks in Istanbul.” Background: António Guterres arrived in Moscow on Tuesday, 26 April, to hold talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin on ending the war in Ukraine. Later, on Thursday, 28 April, he intends to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Kyiv. On 24 April, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan called Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to discuss security guarantees for Ukraine, the possible resumption of talks with Russia, and the evacuation of blockaded Ukrainian military personnel and civilians. António Guterres also spoke to UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Sunday 24 April to discuss the situation in Mariupol and Kherson. On 19 April, the UN Secretary-General called for a four-day Holy Week humanitarian pause beginning on Holy Thursday and running through Easter Sunday, April 24th, to allow for the opening of a series of humanitarian corridors. However, Russia continued to carry out artillery shelling and airstrikes on Ukrainian cities on Easter, particularly on “Azovstal” in Mariupol. Defence Minister Oleksii Reznikov has accused the UN of condoning Russian war and the murder of innocent civilians by Russian aggressors. In his opinion, the UN ignores Russia’s war crimes because Russia possesses nuclear weapons.
