Russia bombed Kiev during Guterres' visit

Russian missile strikes on the Ukrainian capital resumed after a two-week hiatus, even as the UN Secretary-General was visiting. A spokesman for Antonio Guterres told reporters that he and his entourage were safe but shocked.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said five sites had been hit in Russian missile strikes on the capital. At least 10 people were injured in the Russian missile strikes, aid agencies said. Part of a 25-story residential building was destroyed.

A spokesman for the UN Secretary-General told reporters that Guterres and his team are safe but shocked.

Mikhail Podoliak, an adviser to Zelensky, said Guterres was sitting in the Kremlin a moment ago and now explosions could be heard overhead. “Is this a Moscow-style welcome?” he asked sarcastically.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kulba also described the Russian military's action on Twitter as a "despicable and barbaric act" and said: "Russia has once again demonstrated its attitude towards Ukraine, Europe and the world."

During his visit to Moscow and meeting with Putin, the UN Secretary-General said he was trying to do everything possible to end the war and the suffering of the people.

Volodymyr Zelensky, however, criticized Guterres and the Security Council in a press conference, saying that the body had failed to do everything it could to prevent and end this war.

During his visit to Ukraine, Guterres said that UN staff had done everything necessary to help the Ukrainian people.

After meeting with Guterres, Zelensky expressed optimism about ending the siege of the Mariupol steel plant.

Russia opposes complete evacuation of Azovstal besieged residents

About a thousand civilians and two thousand soldiers are surrounded by Russian forces at the Mariupol Iron and Steel Plant.

The United Nations announced that Antonio Guterres and Vladimir Putin agreed to evacuate the besieged plant during a meeting in Moscow on Tuesday, April 26.

But Russia has rejected talks on creating a humanitarian corridor to evacuate all those besieged at the Azov-Stal steel plant.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Russian President Vladimir Putin had said only civilians could leave through humanitarian corridors and that Ukrainian soldiers must surrender and lay down their weapons.

Guterres: 25 million Ukrainians may need aid 

Guterres said in a meeting with Zelensky that the United Nations is preparing cash payments for two million Ukrainians affected by the Russian military offensive in the country. He announced that the United Nations, in coordination with the Ukrainian government, will cover 1.3 million people by the end of May, and that this number will increase to two million by August.

According to Guterres, this plan is a "special assistance" because the UN usually only pays money to victims in countries where the government is unable to provide such assistance.

Guterres noted that in a worst-case scenario, 25 million Ukrainians could need humanitarian assistance by the end of the year.

Source: DW