The defenders of the Ukrainian city of Mariupol changed the course of the war with Russia by holding out for 82 days, Ukrainian presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak said on Tuesday.

Podolyak said in televised comments that talks on evacuating more people from the city's Azovstal steel works, the last bastion of defence after weeks of Russian siege and bombardment, were difficult but that there was hope they would be successful.

 

(Reporting by Natalia Zinets, Writing by Alexander Winning, Editing by Timothy Heritage)