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Antonio Guterres to visit Russia and Ukraine next week
The Xinhua reported, a UN spokesman said Friday (Apr 22) that UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres will meet Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on April 26 and 28 respectively.
Stephane Dujarric, spokesman for Guterres, said that Guterres will visit Moscow on April 26 and have "a working meeting and lunch" with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.
Dujarric said that during his trip to Ukraine, Guterres will also have a working meeting with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba and meet with staff of UN agencies to discuss the scaling up of humanitarian assistance to Ukrainian people.
Dujarric said on Wednesday (Apr 20) that the UN chief sent separate letters Tuesday afternoon to the permanent missions of Russia and Ukraine to the United Nations, asking Putin to receive him in Moscow and Zelensky to receive him in Kiev.
Since Russia began its invasion on Feb. 24, the civilian death toll in Ukraine has climbed to 2,224, while 2,897 others have been injured, according to UN estimates, with the true figure feared to be much higher.
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The UN refugee agency said that more than 5 million Ukrainians have fled to other countries, with over 7 million more internally displaced.
levantnews, xinhua
