Red Cross chief in Moscow for meetings on humanitarian situation in Ukraine

By Peter Kenny

GENEVA (AA) - The Red Cross on Wednesday said its leader Peter Maurer is in Moscow to discuss the humanitarian situation in Ukraine.

Maurer plans to speak about "the pressing humanitarian issues to be addressed to alleviate the suffering of people affected by the conflict in Ukraine," said the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).

"The devastation caused by the conflict in recent weeks, as well as eight years of conflict in Donbas, has been vast," Maurer said.

"There are practical steps guided by international humanitarian law that the parties must take to limit the suffering."

The Red Cross president said he was in Kyiv last week and is in Moscow this week to continue the discussion with the authorities on steps to curb human suffering since Russia launched a war on Ukraine on Feb. 24.

Maurer plans to meet with representatives of foreign and defense ministries in Moscow.

- Russian Red Cross

Maurer will also meet with the chairman of the Russian Red Cross, "which is doing significant work providing assistance to those who arrived in Russia after fleeing from their homes in Donbas," said the ICRC, referring to one of the two separatist areas of Ukraine.

The ICRC said it is seeking to increase the respect of international humanitarian law and work within its mandate as a neutral and impartial intermediary to address humanitarian issues and facilitate dialogue between all sides.

"For the humanitarian response to be more effective, neutral and impartial humanitarian space must be agreed upon and respected, so this much-needed assistance reaches those in need," the ICRC said.

Last week when he visited Ukraine, Maurer warned that the "suffering in Mariupol must not become the future of Ukraine," referring to the port city in the southeast of Ukraine.

Ukraine's deputy prime minister said on Tuesday that more than 100,000 civilians were stranded in the besieged city of Mariupol.