Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on Tuesday said Ukraine's efforts to push back Russian troops from Mariupol were facing difficulties.
In a televised interview with local media, Zelenskiy said the military situation in the southern port city was "very difficult."
He also said Turkey had proposed a plan to help evacuate wounded people and dead bodies from the city, but cautioned that the initiative depended on the will of Russian President Vladimir Putin.
(Reporting by Pavel Polityuk; Writing by Alessandra Prentice; Editing by Hugh Lawson)