Russian shelling of major cities is preventing civilians from evacuating, Ukraine says

A Ukrainian negotiator urged Russia to stop its assault on Ukraine, which the UN said says has already forced 1.7m people to flee their country

A Ukrainian police officer runs while holding a child as the artillery echoes nearby, while fleeing Irpin on the outskirts of Kyiv, Ukraine. Picture: AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti

Russian shelling is preventing the evacuation of civilians from the cities of Kyiv, Mariupol, Sumy, Kharkiv, Volnovakha and Mykolayiv, Ukraine’s foreign ministry has said.

In a statement, the ministry called on foreign leaders to force Russia to observe a ceasefire to prevent what it said could be a humanitarian catastrophe.