Ukrainian Deputy Defence Minister Hanna Maliar said all duties to defend the port city of Mariupol had been fulfilled and it was not possible to free the Azovstal steelworks.
The fighters defending Mariupol had given Ukraine critically important time to build up reserves, regroup forces and receive assistance from partners, she said on Facebook Monday.
The most important thing now is to save the lives of the fighters who had been defending Mariupol, she said.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky meanwhile stressed in his daily video address that Ukraine needs its Mariupol "heroes" alive.
Following lengthy negotiations, Ukraine's military announced Monday some 260 of its fighters had left the steelworks after holing up there for weeks.
