Kyiv Seeks to Sign Document on Evacuation from 'Azovstal'

Kyiv wishes to sign a document detailing how the evacuation from the 'Azovstal' factory area in Mariupol will take place. This was announced by Ukraine's Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Reintegration of the Temporarily Occupied Territories, Iryna Vereshchuk, as reported by TASS.

“We have initiated a new phase of negotiations regarding the roadmap for the special operation (on the evacuation from 'Azovstal'). The Red Cross is involved; they are meeting with the Russians today. We have negotiated with them (the International Committee of the Red Cross), as well as with the UN, and have given them a mandate. We want the document to be signed, outlining exactly how the evacuation from 'Azovstal' will occur, and we are ready for the signing,” Vereshchuk's words were quoted by the ministry's press service.

She also stated that Turkey would act as a mediator in the current phase of negotiations. According to her, the evacuation operation will be carried out in several phases, with the first being the evacuation of severely wounded individuals.

On May 7, Vereshchuk announced that all civilians had been evacuated from the factory area. Mariupol is the largest city on the coast of the Sea of Azov, a key center for metallurgy in Donbas, and a major maritime port. The battle for the city began on February 25. Currently, a group of Ukrainian nationalists is blocked within the territory of the 'Azovstal' factory.