ZAPORIZHZHIA, Ukraine - A long-awaited evacuation of civilians from a besieged steel plant in the Ukrainian city of Mariupol was under way Sunday, as U.S.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi revealed that she visited Ukraine’s president to show unflinching American support for the country’s defense against Russia’s invasion.Video posted online by Ukrainian forces showed elderly women and mothers with small children bundled in winter clothing being helped as they climbed a steep pile of debris from the sprawling Azovstal steel plant’s rubble, and then eventually boarded a bus.Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said more than 100 civilians, primarily women and children, were expected to arrive in the Ukrainian-controlled city of Zaporizhzhia on Monday.RELATED: Marine veteran dies fighting alongside Ukrainians; Widow calls him 'hero'"Today, for the first time in all the days of the war, this vitally needed (humanitarian) corridor has started working," he said in a pre-recorded address published on his Telegram messaging app channel.U.S.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and a congressional delegation affirmed U.S. support for Ukraine as it defends itself against Russian attacks.The Mariupol City Council said on Telegram that the evacuation of civilians from other parts of the city would begin Monday morning.