Zelenskyy said negotiations continue to rescue people trapped in the Azovstal steel works. “There are still civilians. Women, children," he added.
Read here Intense attacks continued on the besieged Azovstal steel plant
"To save them, we need to continue the silence. The Ukrainian side is ready to provide it. It takes time to just lift people out of those basements, out of those underground shelters. In the current conditions, we cannot use special equipment to clear the debris. Everything is done manually," he said.
Zelenskiy also asked the UN secretary-general, António Guterres, for help evacuating people still trapped in the plant.
The lives of the people who remain there are in danger. Everyone is important to us. We ask for your help in saving them,
he said.
This was the second evacuation of civilians from areas in Mariupol coordinated by the UN and Red Cross, the statement said. Last weekend, more than 100 civilians were evacuated from the Azovstal steel plant and arrived safely in Zaporizhzhia.