Evacuations halted in Ukraine area where cease-fire pledged

A destroyed Ukrainian army tank in the settlement of Gnutovo outside Mariupol. Pic/AFP

The Ukrainian president's office says civilian evacuations have halted in an area of the country where Russian defense officials had announced a cease-fire.

Kyrylo Tymoshenko, the deputy head of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's office, said the evacuation effort was stopped because the city of Mariupol remained under fire on Saturday.

"The Russian side is not holding to the ceasefire and has continued firing on Mariupol itself and on its surrounding area," he said.

"Talks with the Russian Federation are ongoing regarding setting up a ceasefire and ensuring a safe humanitarian corridor."

The Russian Defense Ministry said earlier in a statement it had agreed on evacuation routes with Ukrainian forces for Mariupol, a strategic port in the southeast, and for the eastern city of Volnovakha.

But a city official reported that shelling continued in his area on Saturday despite the deal, a sign of the fragility of efforts to stop fighting across the country.

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