Intense discussions are continuing to translate into reality the proposal to involve the UN and the International Committee of the Red Cross in the evacuation of civilians from Azovstal, UN Secretary General António Guterres said.

"During my visit to Moscow, President Putin agreed in principle to the involvement of the UN and the International Committee of the Red Cross in the evacuation of civilians from the plant in Azovstal. Today, President Zelensky and I have an opportunity to address this issue. As we speak, there are intense discussions that would forward with this proposal to make it a reality," Guterres said at a press conference with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Kyiv on Thursday.

The Secretary General stressed the need to create a rescue route for the civilian population from Mariupol.

"Effective humanitarian corridors, local cessation of hostilities, safe passage for civilians and supplies. Today, the people of Mariupol are in despair and need just such an approach. Mariupol is a crisis within the crisis. Thousands of civilians need life-saving assistance, many elderly and need of medical care or with limited mobility. They need an escape routes out of apocalypse," he said.