Volodymyr Zelensky, the Ukrainian president, has tweeted that he had an “important phone discussion” with his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
“On the eve of his meeting with [Russian President Vladimir] Putin, I emphasized the urgent necessity for people to be evacuated from Mariupol, particularly Azovstal, and for the blocked military to be exchanged.”
On Saturday, Zelensky vowed to withdraw from any discussions with Moscow if Russian soldiers “kill” the last Ukrainian defenders holed up at the Azovstal steelworks, a big industrial region in Mariupol.
Turkey enjoys cordial connections with both Ukraine and Russia, and Erdogan has been instrumental in attempting to mediate a truce between the two countries. One of these rounds of negotiations took place last month in Istanbul.
(1/2) Had an important phone conversation with President @RTErdogan. On the eve of his talks with Putin, I stressed the need for immediate evacuation of civilians from Mariupol, including Azovstal, and immediate exchange of blocked troops.
— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) April 24, 2022
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