China News Agency, Beijing, May 2. Comprehensive news: On May 1, local time, with the assistance of the United Nations and the International Committee of the Red Cross, Russia and Ukraine evacuated some trapped civilians from the Azov Steel Plant in Mariupol, Ukraine. . UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said on the same day that the conflict between Russia and Ukraine has exacerbated the “triple crisis” of food, energy and finance in Africa, or may lead to social unrest in parts of Africa.
Some civilians evacuated from Azov steel plant
The Russian Defense Ministry said on the 1st that the Russian army rescued 80 civilians, including women and children, from the Azov steel plant in the city of Mariupol.
According to the website of the Russian Ministry of Defense, the Russian army opened a humanitarian corridor in “silent mode” to safely evacuate civilians. The source said that all the rescued people were evacuated to the Bezimenoye settlement in Donetsk, where they received accommodation, food and necessary medical assistance. The Russian army has handed over to representatives of the United Nations and the International Committee of the Red Cross those who wish to travel to areas controlled by the Ukrainian authorities.
At the same time, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky also said on social platforms on the 1st that the evacuation of civilians from the Azov steel plant had begun. “The first team of about 100 people is en route to the controlled area. We will meet them tomorrow in Zaporozhye. (Our team) is working with the UN representative to evacuate the remaining civilians from the factory.”
Later in the day, Zelensky released a video saying he had completed the task of evacuating 100 people from the Azov steel plant. He said that the ceasefire system will last for two days, and the evacuation of personnel from Mariupol will continue at 8 am on the 2nd.
A spokesman for the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs confirmed on May 1 that the United Nations was conducting a “safe passage operation” to help evacuate civilians from the Azov steel plant in the city of Mariupol. The operation, which began on 29 April, is currently being carried out in cooperation with the ICRC, Russia and Ukraine.
Russia will not artificially end military operations in Ukraine
According to the news released on the website of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs on the 1st, Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov said that Russia will not artificially end the “special military operation” in Ukraine before the victory day of the Great Patriotic War on May 9.
In an interview with the media and asked if the conflict between Russia and Ukraine would end by May 9, Lavrov said that Russia would not artificially end “special military operations” in Ukraine by a certain date, including May 9. Victory Day. Russia will, as always, solemnly celebrate this holiday.
Lavrov said that the progress of the “special military operation” in Ukraine depends first on “the risk to civilians and Russian military personnel must be minimized.”
In addition, Lavrov said that Russia did not demand the surrender of Ukrainian President Zelensky, but instead asked him to order the release of all civilians and stop resistance. Russia’s goal “does not include regime change in Ukraine.”
Russia-Ukraine conflict intensifies Africa’s ‘triple crisis’
UN Secretary-General António Guterres said in Dakar, the capital of Senegal on May 1, that the conflict between Russia and Ukraine has exacerbated the “triple crisis” of food, energy and finance throughout Africa, which may lead to political instability and social unrest in parts of Africa.
Guterres said that in response to the food crisis in Africa, all unnecessary export restrictions should be removed and food prices should be controlled to ensure a stable flow of food and energy into the market. “There is no real solution to the food security problem without re-entering the market for grain and fertilizer from Ukraine, Russia and Belarus,” he said.
Guterres also said that the United Nations has established a global food, energy and financial crisis response team, which will help mobilize the United Nations and other international organizations to respond to the crisis.
Hungary opposes EU energy embargo on Russia
According to a report by French television station 24 on May 2, EU energy ministers are close to reaching an agreement on an oil embargo against Russia.
The ban will not take effect immediately to give EU countries a chance to find other suppliers and build enough infrastructure to accommodate the change, the report said.
Countries including Austria, Italy and Hungary have all expressed concern due to their reliance on Russian fuel and the potential impact of the embargo on their economies.
According to a report by Daily News Hungary on the 1st, Gergely Gulyás, the head of the Hungarian Prime Minister’s Office, said on the same day that the EU should revoke its earlier decision and should not approve the Sanctions on imports of Russian oil and gas. Otherwise, Hungary would have to pay higher prices for these energy sources, which would make it difficult for Hungary to maintain a cap on household utility prices and the economy to function, he added.
The Hungarian government did not actually buy Russian gas with rubles, but opened a euro account at Gazprom Bank and exchanged the euros that the Hungarian government had transferred into its account into rubles, Gujas said.
In addition to Hungary, nine other European countries are also using such payment schemes, he said. (Finish)Return to Sohu, see more
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