ROAD TO NOWHERE

Ukraine: Russia Has Agreed to Create Humanitarian Corridors—and Not Much Else

A Ukrainian official said that despite coming to an understanding on allowing civilians to evacuate, Kyiv “did not get the results we were counting on.”

A Ukrainian official has said that a new round of ceasefire talks held on Thursday led to an understanding between Kyiv and Moscow on the need for safe civilian evacuation, but that negotiations fell short of hopes. It marks the first time Russia and Ukraine have come to any kind of agreement since Russian President Vladimir Putin announced the invasion last Thursday. The organization of “humanitarian corridors” amidst intense attacks by Russian forces and a growing refugee crisis was paramount, according to Ukrainian presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak. The two sides have sketched out the possibility of a temporary ceasefire, “not everywhere,” but in the regions where the corridors will be located. The Russian officials also signaled their willingness to allow the delivery of food and medicines to areas of intense bombardment and fighting, according to Podolyak. But, “to our great regret, we did not get the results we were counting on,” he added, without going into detail on what those ideal results had been. Ukraine has reported that more than 2,000 civilians have died since the invasion began one week ago, according to the BBC.