LVIV, Ukraine — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called for direct talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Saturday as Russian forces pushed deeper into the beleaguered southern port city of Mariupol, with heavy street battles shutting down a major steel plant and hampering rescue efforts.
Military skirmishes erupted across the heart of Mariupol’s city center, obstructing local efforts to rescue hundreds of people believed to be trapped in the basement of a theater struck by a bomb or missile Wednesday. Russia denied bombing the theater, which was being used to protect children.
“The city is leveled to the ground,” a member of the Azov regiment that is defending Mariupol said Saturday on Telegram as tanks moved in and Russian forces continued to strike from the air.
