LVIV, Ukraine — What looked like a breakthrough cease-fire to evacuate residents from two cities in Ukraine quickly is not holding, according to Ukrainian officials.
The Russian defense ministry earlier said it had agreed on temporary evacuation routes with Ukrainian forces for Mariupol, a strategic port in the southeast, and the eastern city of Volnovakha.
But Ukrainian officials say the work to remove civilians has halted amid shelling on Saturday hours after Russia announced the deal.
An official in President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's office says that talks with Russia continue on setting up a cease-fire and ensuring a safe humanitarian corridor.
