(VOVWORLD) - Russian troops will unilaterally cease-fire to allow civilians to leave the Azovstal steel plant in the Ukrainian port city of Mariupol, Russian Defense Ministry said on Monday.
 A satelite image of Azovstal steeel plant in Mariupol, Ukraine, released by Planet Labs on April 20, 2022. (photo: AP) |
According to the Ministry’s statement, at 2 p.m. local time Russian military will withdraw its units to a safe distance from Azovstal to ensure the safe exit of civilians from the plant in any direction they choose.
On Monday, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said that the Russian and Ukrainian delegations were still involved in negotiations. She emphasized that the representatives have conducted a number of face-to-face and online negotiations.
The same day, the Press Secretary of Russian President Vladimir Putin said Russia intends to discuss issues related to the Ukrainian port city of Mariupol and Azovstal plant at talks with United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres, who will visit Moscow this week.
Guterres will meet Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday and then head to Ukraine for talks with President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on Thursday.