ATHENS – Hopes for Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Dendidas to lead a humanitarian mission to Ukraine and bring aid to the besieged city of Mariupol and ethnic Greeks there are on hold.

Diplomatic activity is underway, said Kathimerini and Reuters, trying to get Russia to allow a convoy into the city during its invasion that has been condemed by most of the world, excluding Turkey and some other countries.

While the European Union has imposed some sanctions, but not cut off buying Russian oil and gas that’s the bloc’s major supplier – giving Russian money to finance the war – Turkey has refused to go along although it’s been a candidate to join since 2005.

French President Emmanuel Macron said he would work with Greece and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan – whose country is supplying Ukraine with drones to take out Russian tanks and soldiers – to get Russia to allow food, water and other necessities into cities where people are starving and dying of thirst.

Diplomatic activity is underway to secure Greek participation in a humanitarian aid mission to the besieged port city of Mariupol amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Mariupol is on the verge of a humanitarian catastrophe, Mayor Vadym Boichenko told Reuters, that the city, home to some 150,000 ethnic Greeks, must be completely evacuated very soon.

He said about 160,000 civilians were trapped in the city without power. Twenty-six buses were waiting to evacuate civilians but Russian forces had not agreed to give them safe passage, he said and are still boming and attacking, no word on the number of casualties, including ethnic Greeks.