The AP Interview: Kyiv wants UN to seek Mariupol evacuation
KYIV, Ukraine (AP) - Ukraine's foreign minister is urging the U.N. chief to press Russia on Tuesday for an evacuation of the besieged port of Mariupol, calling it something the world body is capable of achieving.
Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba told The Associated Press in an interview Monday he was concerned that by visiting Moscow before traveling to Kyiv, U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres could be vulnerable to falling into a Kremlin 'œtrap'ť in the war.
'œMany other foreign officials were trapped visiting Moscow and played around just to show the supremacy of Russian diplomacy and how great they are and how they dictate the world how to behave,'ť he said.
Guterres 'œshould focus primarily on one issue: evacuation of Mariupol," Kuleba said, referring to the the seaside city where an estimated 100,000 people are trapped while a contingent of Ukrainian fighters hold out against Russian forces in a steel mill where hundreds of civilians also are taking shelter.
"This is really something that the U.N. is capable to do. And if he demonstrates political will, character and integrity, I hope that will allow us to make one step forward,'ť he said.
Kuleba spoke a day after U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin met Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Kyiv, the highest-level American visit to the capital since Russia invaded on Feb. 24.
They told Zelenskyy the U.S. would provide more than $300 million in foreign military financing and had approved a $165 million sale of ammunition.
Kuleba praised the visit and called them representatives of 'œthe country that did more than any other country in the world'ť for Ukraine.
Asked whether the new announcements went far enough, Kuleba said that 'œas long as Russian soldiers put a foot on Ukrainian soil, nothing is enough.'ť
'œWe appreciate everything that has been done, including by the United States,'ť Kuleba said. 'œWe understand that, for some, what has been done is already a revolution, but this is not enough as long as the war continues.
'œIt's not because Ukrainians are greedy, it's not because we want to grasp the opportunity and get as much as we want. No, it's because we need to win this war,'ť he said.
Kuleba emphasized the need for the West to speedily provide weapons needed by Ukraine to win the war and stop Russian President Vladimir Putin from going 'œdeeper into Europe.'ť
'œYou know, every conversation about weapons starts with us saying '~we need this.' And the initial answer is '~we don't think you need exactly this. ... Let us reflect on it.' It takes some time for partners to reflect, but the problem is that the war continues here,'ť he said.
'œIn the end, we do get what we need, and then we start getting it in sufficient quantities. But time has been lost. This is the main issue that needs to be addressed, and we were very open with our in particular American counterparts and also with other countries on that. Start doing things fast.'ť
Although Ukraine and Russia have held talks on ending the war since its early days, Kuleba said he thought anything lower than discussions between Zelenskyy and Putin would bring little resolution.
On his Russian counterpart, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, Kuleba said: 'œI don't think he's ready for a serious conversation."
He added that he didn't think Russia is ready to find 'œsolutions at the negotiating table.'ť
"But if I see that they change this attitude and they are ready to seriously look for mutually acceptable solutions, I will overcome my disgust and sit down with him and talk,'ť Kuleba said.
'œThe sooner President Putin agrees to meet with President Zelenskyy, the more likely it will be to bring the moment of the end of the war closer," he added.
"I don't give a 100% guarantee, but I have confidence in my president. I understand that he's prepared for that conversation and he knows how to negotiate. The longer President Putin escapes this meeting, the (more) likely it is that he is focused entirely on the war scenario,'ť Kuleba said.
He reiterated Zelenskyy's position that an escalation in Mariupol would ruin chances of negotiating with Russia.
'œWe sent a very clear message: If you want to kill those people or you want to take them in as prisoners and humiliate, that will be it. That will be the red line,'ť he said. 'œBut it's not enough to keep things as they are. It's really important to evacuate all of them, to save them."
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Associated Press journalist Inna Varenytsia in Kyiv contributed.
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Follow the AP's coverage of the war at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine