Ukraine, Russia agree to create humanitarian corridors

Kyiv/Moscow, Mar 3 (EFE).- Negotiators from Ukraine and Russia agreed Thursday to establish humanitarian corridors for the evacuation of civilians from areas where fighting is taking place between Ukrainian forces and the Russians who invaded the country a week ago.

“The parties have reached an understanding over the joint creation of humanitarian corridors with a temporary cease-fire,” the head of the Ukrainian delegation, Mykhailo Podolyak, said on Telegram, clarifying that the accord does not signify an end to hostilities.

“A cease-fire during the operation will be possible only in those places where the actual humanitarian corridors will be located,” he wrote following the meeting in Belarus.

Podolyak, who is an adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, expressed disappointment with the outcome of Thursday talks.

“The second round of negotiations is over. Unfortunately, the results Ukraine needs are not yet achieved. There is a solution only for the organization of humanitarian corridors,” he said.

While he spoke of a third round of talks, he did not say when they would take place.

Russia’s chief negotiator, Vladimir Medinsky, confirmed the agreement on a mechanism to evacuate civilians.

“We have thoroughly discussed three points – military, international and humanitarian, and the third one is an issue of a future political regulation of the conflict,” he said.

“Both (the Ukrainian and Russian) positions are clear and written down. We managed to agree on some of them, but the key thing that we have reached an agreement on today was a matter of rescuing civilians who found themselves in a military clash zone,” he told the media.

“Russian and Ukrainian defense ministries agreed on providing humanitarian corridors for civilians and on a possible temporary cease-fire in areas where evacuation is happening,” Medinsky said.

EFE io-vh/dr