UN chief asks Putin, Zelensky to meet with him in Moscow, Kyiv

UNITED NATIONS - UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has asked both the Russian and Ukrainian leaders to receive him to discuss steps to bring about peace following Russia's special military operation in its neighbor.

Stephane Dujarric, spokesperson for the secretary-general, said on Wednesday in a statement that separate letters were sent Tuesday afternoon to the permanent missions of Russia and Ukraine to the UN, asking Vladimir Putin to receive Guterres in Moscow and Volodymyr Zelensky to receive him in Kyiv.

"The secretary-general said, at this time of great peril and consequence, he would like to discuss urgent steps to bring about peace in Ukraine and the future of multilateralism based on the Charter of the United Nations and international law," Dujarric said.

"He noted that both Ukraine and the Russian Federation are founding members of the United Nations and have always been strong supporters of this organization," the spokesman added.

The top UN official on Tuesday called for a four-day humanitarian pause in fighting in Ukraine to allow for the opening of humanitarian aid corridors during the Orthodox Christian Holy Week.

During the proposed pause, Guterres stated, civilians would be evacuated from "current or expected areas of confrontation" and humanitarian aid would be delivered to desperately in needy places such as Mariupol, Donetsk, Lugansk and Kherson.