During the two months of Russia’s war against Ukraine, Pope Francis asked Russian President Vladimir Putin three times to provide a humanitarian corridor for the evacuation of the civilian population from Mariupol.
However, Putin replied that he could not guarantee his safety.
This is reported by the Italian newspaper Il Messaggero, citing sources.
The first two times, Francis offered Putin permission to take the residents of Mariupol through a humanitarian corridor to the territories controlled by Ukraine. These requests were transmitted to Putin at the end of March and closer to Christmas through confidential channels.
The Pope was ready to send his trusted Cardinal for Humanitarian Affairs Konrad Krajewski to Mariupol from Poland, who accompanied the ambulance donated by the Vatican.
For the third time, the Pope offered to take the civilian population out of Azovstal on a ship flying the flag of the Holy See, probably because from the point of view of logistics it would be easier to take people out of the plant through the port.
Recall that in the city of Mariupol, Donetsk region, which has been under siege by Russian troops since the beginning of March, the Ukrainian military have been holding defenses on the territory of Azovstal , and Russian invaders continue to bombard the territory of the enterprise. The Mariupol City Council reported that at least 2,000 civilian women, children and the elderly are at the metallurgical plant.
Ukraine has repeatedly tried to organize a humanitarian corridor from Mariupol, but the Russian side has constantly disrupted its implementation.
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