German Chancellor Olaf Scholz will hold talks with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida next week, while, as people in Mariupol, Kherson, Donetsk and Luhansk endure ongoing fighting, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres will visit Moscow and then head to Ukraine in a bid to "bring peace to Ukraine urgently."
A view of the destruction in the besieged port city of Mariupol where the Russian army has taken control, April 22, 2022. /CFP
Ukraine update
Sunday marks two months since the start of the Russian "special military operation" in Ukraine. More than 5 million refugees have fled Ukraine since the conflict began, according to the United Nations's refugee agency.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres will visit Moscow next week to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin and then head to Ukraine for talks with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
"He hopes to talk about what can be done to bring peace to Ukraine urgently," Eri Kaneko, Guterres' associate spokesperson, told a news briefing in New York on Friday.
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres speaks to the media regarding the Ukraine crisis, at the UN Headquarters in New York City, U.S., March 14, 2022. /Reuters
On Tuesday, Guterres called for a four-day Orthodox Easter humanitarian pause in fighting in Ukraine, beginning on Thursday, to allow for the safe passage of civilians from areas of conflict and the delivery of humanitarian aid to hard-hit areas.
German chancellor to visit Japan
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz will make a two-day visit to Japan from April 28, and hold talks with Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, the Japanese government said on Friday.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz speaks to reporters in Berlin, German, April 19, 2022. /Reuters
The trip comes as Germany and Japan work with their allies and partners to step up sanctions against Russia and support for Ukraine, Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno said at a news conference.
Germany, which currently holds the rotating chairmanship of the G7 countries, is set to host the annual G7 summit at Schloss Elmau, a castle resort in the Bavarian Alps, from June 26 to 28.
Japan will take over the chairmanship next year.
Day by day：
Monday: Norwegian Foreign Minister Anniken Huitfeldt visits India to take part in the Raisina Dialogue, in addition to holding bilateral talks.
Tuesday: UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres meets Russian President Vladimir Putin and has a working meeting and lunch with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.
Wednesday: A quiet day in politics.
Thursday: German Chancellor Olaf Scholz starts a two-day visit to Japan and hold talks with Prime Minister Fumio Kishida; Guterres meets with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba and staff at UN agencies to discuss the scaling up of humanitarian assistance efforts to Ukraine.
Friday-Saturday: A quiet days in politics.
Sunday: International Labor Day.
(With input from agencies)