Ukraine rejects ultimatum to surrender ‘desperate’ Mariupol

A Greek diplomat said the destruction in the southern city would rank alongside history’s most ruinous wartime assaults.

The aftermath of the airstrike on the Mariupol Drama Theatre. Picture: AFP

Ukraine on Monday rejected an ultimatum to surrender the besieged city of Mariupol, demanding Moscow instead allow hundreds of thousands of terrified residents safe passage out.

The move came as US President Joe Biden — who is due to visit Europe this week to meet leaders from NATO, the G7 and the EU — said he would also travel to Poland for crisis talks over the Russian invasion.

“We can’t talk about surrendering weapons,” Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk told Ukrainska Pravda hours before a Russian deadline.

“We have already informed the Russian side about it,” she said, demanding Moscow instead open humanitarian corridors to allow an estimated 350,000 people still trapped in the city to leave.

Russia’s Ministry of Defence had earlier said Ukraine had until 5am on Monday (2pm AEDT) to respond to Russian proposals, warning that more than a “court martial” awaits those who do not surrender.

“We call on units of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, territorial defence battalions, foreign mercenaries to stop hostilities, lay down their arms,” Russian National Defence Control Centre chief Mikhail Mizintsev said.

Kyiv’s rejection came as Russian bombs hit targets across the country overnight, killing at least six in Kyiv and allegedly damaging a chemical plant in the north of the country causing an “ammonia leakage”.

The southern port city of Mariupol is a pivotal target in Russian President Vladimir Putin’s war – providing a land bridge between Russian forces in Crimea to the southwest and Russian-controlled territory to the north and east.

The city has been under heavy bombardment from surrounding Russian forces since the start of the invasion on February 24.

A Greek diplomat who remained in Mariupol during some of the bombardment said the destruction there would rank alongside history’s most ruinous wartime assaults.

“Mariupol will be included in a list of cities in the world that were completely destroyed by the war, such as Guernica, Stalingrad, Grozny, Aleppo,” Manolis Androulakis said after flying back to Athens.

The UN has described the humanitarian situation in the city as “extremely dire”, with “residents facing a critical and potentially fatal shortage of food, water and medicines”.

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Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchu on Sunday.

In his latest video address, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky accused Russia of bombarding a Mariupol school sheltering hundreds, calling it an act of “terror that will be remembered even in the next century”.

“Russian forces have come to exterminate us, to kill us,” he said.

It was the latest potentially devastating strike on a shelter for civilians. Last Wednesday, a theatre where authorities said more than 1000 people had sheltered was hit, with hundreds still presumed missing in the rubble.

Mariupol officials have said occupying forces have forcibly transported about 1000 residents to Russia and stripped them of their Ukrainian passports – a possible war crime.

A group of children stuck in a Mariupol clinic for weeks are among those who have been taken to Russian-controlled territory. The 19 children, aged between four and 17 and mostly orphans, had been living in freezing cellars hiding from shelling in harrowing conditions.

As Russian bombing continued across the country, Mr Zelensky again suggested that he and Mr Putin hold direct talks.

After addressing Israeli MPs, Mr Zelensky thanked Prime Minister Naftali Bennett for efforts to broker talks, which he suggested could take place in Jerusalem.

“Sooner or later we could start the conversation with Russia. Perhaps in Jerusalem. This is the right place for finding peace. If this is possible,” Mr Zelensky said.

Authorities in Turkey, where Russian and Ukrainian representatives have been negotiating, said the two sides were close to a deal to stop the fighting. But the Ukrainian leader appeared to draw some red lines.

“You cannot just demand from Ukraine to recognise some territories as independent republics,” he told CNN. “We have to come up with a model where Ukraine will not lose its sovereignty.”

Humanitarian conditions continued to deteriorate in the mostly Russian-speaking south and east, where Russian forces have been pressing their advance, as well as in the north around Kyiv.

AFP