Ukraine has asked the International Committee of the Red Cross not to open a planned office in Russia's Rostov-on-Don, saying it would legitimize Moscow's "humanitarian corridors" and the abduction and forced deportation of Ukrainians.
The head of the ICRC said on Thursday after his talks with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov that an agreement between the Russian and Ukrainian armies was needed before civilians could be evacuated properly from war-torn Ukraine.
Russian media reported that Red Cross chief Peter Maurer asked Russia to facilitate the opening of a Red Cross office in Rostov-on-Don.