Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has announced that more than 3,000 people have been rescued from the besieged city of Mariupol.

In a video message to the nation on Friday, Zelenskyy said 6,266 people had been evacuated from the three eastern regions of Donetsk, Luhansk and Zaporizhzhia, including 3,071 from Mariupol.

He said his government is talking with Turkey over a plan to evacuate all citizens from the port city, including wounded soldiers. Turkey is serving as a mediator. He added he hopes to be able to report the details of the plan soon.

Zelenskyy said the Russians are withdrawing forces from the north of Ukraine, slowly but surely.

He said the situation in the east of the country remains extremely difficult, with Russia bolstering its forces in Donbas and in the city of Kharkiv in preparation for new attacks.

Zelenskyy warned that hard battles lie ahead, and vowed to keep up stiff resistance.