Mariupol, Russia: “The armistice only if a white flag is on the Azovstal steel plant”

The Russian military said it was ready “at any moment” to observe a truce on “all or part” of the Azovstal industrial site, the Mariupol steel plant, To allow the evacuation of civilians and the surrender of Ukraine’s fighters. “The starting point for this humanitarian truce will be the raising of white flags by Ukrainian armed formations on the Azovstal site or part of it,” the Russian Defense Ministry said in a statement.

According to Russian President Vladimir Putin, the Kyiv authorities are preventing the evacuation of soldiers and civilians who find themselves trapped in the steel plant.

“It was noted that after the liberation of Mariupol, for humanitarian reasons, the order was given to cancel the attack on the industrial zone of the Azovstal plant,” says the note issued after a telephone conversation between Putin and the President of the People’s Republic of China. European Council Charles Michel, as reported by the Kremlin.

At the same time, safety and decent treatment of all soldiers of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, fighters of local battalions and foreign mercenaries were ensured in accordance with international law and the provision of qualified medical care. But the Kyiv regime does not allow to take advantage of this opportunity,” the Kremlin continues.

Putin highlights the possibility of meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on the outcome of negotiations between the Russian and Ukrainian delegations, in which Kyiv has not yet been coherent. “In response to Charles Michel’s call for direct contact with Volodymyr Zelensky, the President of Russia reiterated his well-known position on this issue, noting that this possibility depends in particular on the tangible results of the ongoing negotiations between the Russian and Ukrainian representatives ., during which the Ukrainian side shows inconsistency and not ready to search for mutually acceptable solutions”, the memo states.

During the interview, “Charles Michel reported about contacts with the Ukrainian leadership during his last trip to Kyiv. Vladimir Putin expressed his assessments regarding the special military operation to protect the Donbass republics”, continues the Kremlin.