(Reuters) – United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres told Russia’s foreign minister on Tuesday that he is ready to fully mobilise the organisation’s resources to save lives and evacuate people from the besieged Ukrainian city of Mariupol.
“Thousands of civilians are in dire need of lifesaving humanitarian assistance, and many have evacuated”, Guterres told a news conference with Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.
“The United Nations is ready to fully mobilise its human and logistical resources to help save lives in Mariupol”, he said, proposing coordinated work with the Red Cross to allow those holed up inside the Azovstal steel plant in Mariupol to leave.
Speaking about reports of possible war crimes in Ukraine, Guterres said he was concerned, and that they required an independent investigation.
(Reporting by Reuters)
