Ukraine Accuses Russia Of Trying To Manipulate World Leaders Via Humanitarian Corridor

Illustration of the evacuation of civilians from Ukraine. (Wikimedia Commons/dsns.gov.ua/State Emergency Service of Ukraine)

JAKARTA - Russia is trying to manipulate French President Emmanuel Macron and other Western leaders by demanding that the humanitarian corridor in Ukraine exit through Russia or Belarus, a senior Ukrainian official said Monday.

Deputy Prime Minister, Iryna Vereshchuk, said Ukraine asked Russia to agree to a ceasefire starting Monday morning to allow Ukrainians to flee to the western Ukrainian city of Lviv.

Ukraine accepted Russia's proposal early Monday after President Macron held talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Vereshchuk said at a televised news conference.

"I hope that French President Emmanuel Macron understands that his name and his sincere desire to help are, in fact, being used and manipulated by the Russian Federation", Vereschuck said.

Ukraine accused Russian troops of shelling areas designated as humanitarian corridors, to prevent people from fleeing the attacked cities.

Meanwhile, Russia's Defense Ministry said new 'corridors' would be opened from the Ukrainian capital Kyiv and the eastern cities of Kharkiv and Sumy, as well as the port city of Mariupol.

Moscow has blamed Ukraine for the failure of the humanitarian corridor so far and denies targeting civilians.

To note, some 200,000 people are still trapped in Mariupol, most sleeping underground to escape more than six days of shelling by Russian forces that have cut off food, water, electricity, and heating, according to Ukrainian authorities.

Russia's invasion has been condemned worldwide, sent more than 1.5 million Ukrainians fleeing abroad, and sparked sweeping sanctions that have isolated Russia in a way no economy of such magnitude has ever experienced.

Russia calls its actions in Ukraine a 'special operation'" designed not to occupy territory, but to destroy the military capabilities of its neighbors and capture what it considers dangerous nationalists.