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The President of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) Peter Maurer is in Ukraine. He arrived in kyiv for a planned five-day visit, the organization said in Geneva on Wednesday.
While the ICRC and the Ukrainian Red Cross were able to facilitate the evacuation of civilians from Sumy on Tuesday, Mr. Maurer will again call for more humanitarian access and protection of civilians. He must meet with members of the government and assess how the organization can increase its assistance to the displaced in terms of food, medical equipment and other components.
After online discussions with the Russian and Ukrainian authorities, it is “important” to have a face-to-face dialogue, said the ICRC president. He wants international humanitarian law (IHL) to be honored more and will address issues such as detainees, the appropriate management of corpses and the protection of combatants who have given up pursuing the conflict.
Mr. Maurer will also meet staff from the ICRC and the Ukrainian Red Cross. He will maintain his dialogue with the Russian authorities.