Evacuations halted in Ukrainian areas where ceasefire was pledged

The Ukrainian presidential office has said civilian evacuations have halted in an area of the country where Russian defence officials had announced a ceasefire.

Kyrylo Tymoshenko, the deputy head of President Volodymyr Zelensky’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 defence ministry said earlier that it had agreed on evacuation routes with Ukrainian forces for Mariupol, a strategic port in the south-east, 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 in efforts to stop fighting across the country.