UN delegation visits Russia to discuss humanitarian efforts in Ukraine.

(Sputnik) – A delegation from the United Nations (UN) visited the Russian Ministry of Defense in Moscow to discuss humanitarian efforts in Ukraine, the agency's spokesman, Stéphane Dujarric, reported.

"As agreed in a phone call between the Secretary-General [António Guterres] and the Minister of Defense of the Russian Federation, Sergei Shoigu, a team from the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs has arrived in Moscow," the spokesperson said.

Dujarric added that, in coordination with his colleagues from the intelligence center and the UN Department of Security, they held initial technical meetings with representatives from the Russian Ministry of Defense.

The spokesperson added that the parties agreed on a path toward greater cooperation and information sharing to improve civil-military humanitarian coordination and "facilitate rapid, life-saving assistance to the most vulnerable people in Ukraine."

On the other hand, he referred to the assassination in Kiev of Denis Kireev, a member of the first Ukrainian delegation to negotiate with Russia, and said that his death should be the subject of a thorough investigation.

Representatives from the United Nations (UN) and officials from the Russian Ministry of Defense met to coordinate communication channels to improve the humanitarian response in Ukraine, Dujarric reported.

"[They agreed] on a path toward greater cooperation and information sharing to improve civil-military humanitarian coordination, to facilitate rapid, life-saving assistance to the most vulnerable people in Ukraine," the spokesperson said at a press conference.

Dujarric reported that a delegation from the organization arrived in Moscow to meet with Russian military officials and discuss the humanitarian response in Ukraine.

On the other hand, he referred to the assassination in Kiev of Denis Kireev, a member of the first Ukrainian delegation to negotiate with Russia, and said that his death should be the subject of a thorough investigation.

Russian President Vladimir Putin announced in the early hours of February 24 the launch of a "special military operation" in Ukraine, stating its objective as protecting the people who "have suffered harassment and genocide at the hands of the Kiev regime for eight years."

The Russian leader also said that there are plans to carry out "the demilitarization and denazification" of Ukraine and to prosecute those who committed bloody crimes against the peaceful inhabitants of Donbas.

According to the Russian Ministry of Defense, the military attacks are not directed against civilian installations, but aim to disable military infrastructure.

From February 24 to March 2, hostilities in Ukraine killed 249 civilians and injured another 553, mainly as a result of artillery and aerial bombardment, according to the UN.

Furthermore, more than one million Ukrainians sought refuge in neighboring countries in the first week of the conflict.

Ukraine severed diplomatic relations with Russia, imposed martial law throughout the country, as well as a curfew in Kyiv and other cities, declared general mobilization, and urged the international community to activate "all possible sanctions" against the Russian leader.

Many countries, with exceptions such as China, strongly condemned Russia's intervention in Ukraine and activated various sets of sanctions.

The UN General Assembly approved on March 1st, by 141 votes in favor, five against, and 35 abstentions, a non-binding resolution deploring the use of force against Ukraine and demanding an immediate end to it.

On March 3, the Russian and Ukrainian delegations held a second round of negotiations in which they agreed to establish humanitarian corridors, with the possibility of a temporary ceasefire to allow the evacuation of civilians, and on March 7 they held their third meeting in Belarus.

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