Turkey’s foreign minister said his country is trying to evacuate Turkish citizens who were sheltering in a mosque in Mariupol.
Russian shells hit near the Sultan Suleiman Mosque Saturday. Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said the mosque had not been damaged and they had made contact with the Turkish nationals through satellite phones. He did not specify the number of people sheltering there, according to The Associated Press.
The Ukrainian Embassy in Ankara said Saturday 89 Turks, including 34 children, were at the mosque.
The minister said he spoke with his Russian counterpart, Sergey Lavrov, to ask for his support for a humanitarian evacuation corridor in Mariupol. Buses were ready for their evacuation Saturday but had not been able to enter the city because of clashes. Efforts continued Sunday.
Cavusoglu said 489 Turkish citizens had been evacuated Saturday from places where clashes continued, including Kherson and Kharkiv.
Meanwhile, Israel’s foreign minister condemned Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, calling on Moscow to halt its attacks and end the conflict.
Yair Lapid’s criticism Sunday is among the strongest that has come from Israeli officials since the war began. His remarks set him apart from Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, who has stopped short of condemning Russia.
Israel has walked a fine line in its response to the crisis. Bennett has voiced support for the Ukrainian people and the country has sent humanitarian aid to Ukraine. But Israel relies on Russia for security coordination in Syria, where Russia has a military presence and where Israeli aircraft have frequently struck enemy targets over recent years.
According to AP, Bennett has been attempting to mediate between the Kremlin and Ukraine.
Lapid made his remarks in Bucharest, Romania, where he met his Romanian counterpart.
