Invasion of Ukraine - France, Turkey and Greece will conduct a humanitarian operation to evacuate Marioupol

France, Turkey and Greece will conduct a humanitarian operation to evacuate in the next few days the besieged city of Mariupol, in southern Ukraine, French President Emmanuel Macron announced Friday.

 

We will in conjunction with Turkey and Greece launch a humanitarian operation to evacuate all those who wish to leave Marioupol, he said at the end of a European summit in Brussels. I will have a new discussion with President (Russian Vladimir) Putin within 48 to 72 hours to determine the details and secure the modalities, said Macron. I hope to be able to involve the maximum number of stakeholders in this operation, continued the French president, assuring that he would be in a position to conduct this evacuation in the next few days.

 

Mr. Macron said that the teams of the Elysee (the French presidency, editor's note) had exchanged Friday with the mayor of Marioupol, a city of more than 400,000 inhabitants which today has only 150,000 inhabitants living in dramatic situations. More than 2,000 civilians have been killed in Marioupol, according to the latest figures from the town hall. According to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, some 100,000 people are still trapped in this strategic port on the Sea of Azov, which is besieged by Russian troops.