No deal yet with Russia on Mariupol humanitarian corridor, says Ukraine

KYIV, Ukraine

Ukraine on Monday denied reaching an agreement with Russia on a humanitarian corridor for civilians holed up in the encircled Azovstal steel plant in Mariupol to flee to safety.

Refuting an earlier announcement by Moscow that such a corridor already exists, Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk said on Telegram: "This could be believed if the Russians had not broken the humanitarian corridors many times before."

"I know what I am saying because, on behalf of the President (of Ukraine), I am personally conducting such negotiations and organizing humanitarian corridors," she added.

"So, I declare officially and publicly: unfortunately, there are no agreements on humanitarian corridors from Azovstal today."

Vereshchuk said her country asked UN Secretary-General Antonio Gutteres to initiate and guarantee a humanitarian corridor for the civilians in the huge steel plant.

The Russian Defense Ministry announced on Monday that it had re-opened a humanitarian corridor from Azovstal for the last remaining Ukrainian troops in Mariupol to surrender.

The ministry said this announcement would be broadcast continually to Ukrainian soldiers in Azovstal via radio channels at intervals of 30 minutes and had been conveyed to the Ukrainian side through Vereshchuk.

At least 2,435 civilians have been killed and 2,946 injured in Ukraine since the war began on Feb. 24, according to UN estimates, with the true figure believed to be much higher.

More than 5.2 million Ukrainians have fled to other countries, with over 7.7 million more internally displaced, said the UN refugee agency.