Ukraine's president says he hopes fighters still trapped in dire conditions in a Mariupol steel plant can be saved.
It is thought around 2,000 Ukrainian soldiers remain in tunnels underneath the Azovstal plant, where they have been holed up for weeks as Russian forces move further into the southern port city.
They are the last pocket of resistance in an area almost destroyed, and they have repeatedly refused to surrender.
Ukraine news live: Zelenskyy says bridges with Russia are not yet 'destroyed'
However, their cause has appeared almost hopeless; many are injured, with little or no ammunition, and there are severe shortages of food, water, and electricity.
Mortars, artillery, truck-mounted rocket systems, aerial bombardment and attacks from the sea have all been used to pummel the site.
In his nightly address on Friday, President Zelenskyy said: "We are working on diplomatic options to save our military who still remain at Azovstal.
"Influential mediators are involved. Influential states." He gave no further details.
In other developments:
• Fifty more people were evacuated from the steelworks on Saturday, say pro-Russian forces
• Ukraine officials report further missile strikes on Saturday: Several hit Odesa, with four more in the wider region; while two also reportedly land near in the northern Sumy region
• Russia makes "unusual" move of not inviting foreign leaders to Victory Day celebrations on 9 May, say Western officials
• Curfews and increased street patrols imposed in a number of cities over fears attacks could increase on the patriotic holiday
• President Biden authorises shipment of another $150m in military assistance, including artillery rounds and radar systems
• Russian troops continue to struggle in the Donbas region as Ukraine says it repelled 11 attacks there
• Five villages and part of a sixth recaptured in the northeastern Kharkiv region, Ukraine says
Read more:
Analysis: Historic defence of steel plant is frustrating Putin's plans - and that matters
More people were evacuated from the Mariupol steelworks on Saturday, according to pro-Russian forces.
Defence officials from the self-declared Donetsk People's Republic said on Telegram that 50 had made it out.
Another 50 are also said to have been evacuated on Friday afternoon, including 11 children, and taken to a reception centre in a nearby Russian-controlled village.
About 500 people have been evacuated from the plant and other areas of the city in recent days.
Mariupol's mayor said earlier this week that 200 civilians were still trapped at the plant - a fraction of the 100,000 thought to still be in the city from its pre-war population of 400,000.
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President Zelenskyy also spoke at an event hosted by the Chatham House think tank in London on Friday, and said there was still the possibility of negotiations with Russia.
He said bridges between the two countries were not yet "destroyed" and that arrangements were needed for talks to "stop the killing".
But the president said any talks could only take place if Moscow withdrew its troops, adding that he hadn't been elected to lead a "mini-Ukraine of some kind".
"They have to fall back," he added.
"In that situation we will be able to start discussing things normally."
He said that "despite the fact that they are destroying all our bridges, I think not all the bridges are yet destroyed".
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2022-05-07 13:18:45Z
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