Ukrainian, Egyptian leaders discuss Russia-Ukraine conflict over phone

CAIRO, March 24 (Xinhua) -- Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi received on Thursday a phone call from his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky during which they discussed the latest developments of the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict, said the Egyptian presidency.

Zelensky briefed Sisi on "the developments in the course of negotiations" relating to the conflict, said Egyptian presidential spokesman Bassam Rady in a statement.

During the conversation, the Egyptian president stressed the necessity of giving priority to dialogue and diplomatic solutions, "affirming Egypt's support for all endeavors that would speed up the political settlement of the crisis" through discussions and negotiations.

Sisi said that Egypt is following "with great concern" the successive developments of the crisis and the consequent deterioration of the humanitarian situation in Ukraine.

For his part, Zelensky expressed appreciation for the efforts made by Egypt to continue hosting Ukrainian tourists in Egyptian resorts, providing them with all means of assistance and facilitating the procedures for their return to Ukraine's neighboring countries.

The ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict started on Feb. 24 when Russian President Vladimir Putin authorized "a special military operation" against Ukraine.

The United Nations recently said more than 3.6 million Ukrainians had fled their country due to the conflict.