"We see that despite the words of the Russian President about the alleged cessation of hostilities in Mariupol, the territory of the Azovstal plant is under barbaric bombing by the Russian army. And this continued even during the talks of the Secretary General in Moscow, "Volodymyr Zelensky said during a meeting with media representatives following talks with Antonio Guterres.

The Ukrainian President stressed that his country is ready for urgent talks to evacuate people from Mariupol and hopes that the participation of the UN Secretary General in this mission will be effective.

He also called on the UN Chief Antonio Guterres to make efforts to stop the deportation of Ukrainian citizens to Russia, gain access to the forcibly deported and return them to their homeland as soon as possible.

While responding to questions from the media, the President expressed hope that with the participation of the UN Secretary General it would be possible to bring people back alive from Mariupol.

(With input from Presidential office)