Antonio Guterres, the UN secretary-general, has separately requested meetings with Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelenskyy in their countries’ capitals to try to negotiate an end to the nearly two-month war in Ukraine. UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said on Wednesday that Guterres had sent letters to the UN missions of Russia and Ukraine, asking Putin to receive him in Moscow and Zelenskyy to welcome him in Kyiv.
In an Easter appeal, Guterres on Tuesday called for a four-day truce during the Orthodox Christian Holy Week to allow for civilian evacuations and the delivery of humanitarian aid to hard-hit areas. Russia’s February 24 invasion of Ukraine has killed thousands of people and left more than 12 million in need of humanitarian assistance. Some five million have also fled Ukraine.
