People move from the city of Irpin, northwest of Kiev, Ukraine, on March 5. Photo: AFP/VNA

“It is absolutely essential to establish a pause in the fighting in Ukraine to allow for the safe passage of civilians from Mariupol, Kharkiv and Sumy, as well as all other places caught in conflict, and to ensure life-saving humanitarian supplies can be brought in for those who remain,” Guterres wrote on Twitter Sunday.