Ukraine prez Volodymyr Zelenskyy seeks to break Russian blockade

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he spoke on Saturday with the leaders of Britain and Sweden about how best to help those defending Mariupol and the tens of thousands of civilians trapped inside the besieged city.

Mariupol's fate can be decided either through battle or diplomacy, he said.

Either our partners give Ukraine all of the necessary heavy weapons, the planes, and without exaggeration immediately, so we can reduce the pressure of the occupiers on Mariupol and break the blockade, he said in his nightly video address to the nation.

Or we do so through negotiations, in which the role of our partners should be decisive.

Zelenskyy said the situation in Mariupol remains inhuman and that Russia is deliberately trying to destroy everyone who is there.