Turkiye ready to transport wounded, dead from besieged city of Mariupol: Ukrainian president

By Ruslan Rehimov

KYIV, Ukraine (AA) – Ukraine’s president said Tuesday that Turkiye is ready to evacuate the wounded and dead defenders of the besieged city of Mariupol via ship.

Volodymyr Zelenskyy said they reached an agreement with Turkiye that it will take out the wounded and the dead by ship, to transport them to Berdiansk, a coastal city some 69 kilometers (43.3 miles) from Mariupol.

"We are waiting for approval from (Russian President Vladimir) Putin. This moment depends on him," he told Ukrainian journalists.

He added that all the infrastructure is ready to remove the wounded and dead from Mariupol.

Earlier, Turkish Defense Minister Huusi Akar said Turkiye could provide ship support for the evacuation of civilians and the wounded from Mariupol.

Russia’s war against Ukraine, which started on Feb. 24, has met international outrage, with the European Union, US, and UK, among others, implementing tough sanctions on Moscow.

At least 1,430 civilians have been killed in Ukraine and 2,097 injured, according to UN estimates, with the true figure feared to be far higher.

More than 4.21 million Ukrainians have also fled to other countries, with millions more internally displaced, according to the UN refugee agency.

* Writing by Gozde Bayar