KEIV — The Ukrainian army said it forced Russian troops out of Makariv, a strategically important Kiev suburb, preventing Moscow forces from encircling the capital from the northwest as the war in Ukraine entered its 26th day after the invasion was launched by Moscow on Feb. 24.

The fighting has forced more than ten million Ukrainians to flee their homes, with thousands of people killed or wounded and widespread damage in the wake of shelling and aerial bombardments.

Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he is ready to consider committing Ukraine not to join NATO in exchange for a ceasefire and withdrawal of Russian armed forces from the country.

Russian air forces increased their activity, flying over 300 sorties in 24 hours by early Tuesday. However, they are not believed to have established air dominance, Western intelligence sources claim.

Zelenskyy said the death of 117 children so far in the war is 'the price of procrastination' over Russia. The United Nations said 10 million people in Ukraine have now fled their homes since the Russian invasion at the end of February.

Three and a half million refugees have fled the country, say UNHCR. EU Home Affairs Commissioner Ylva Johansson, meanwhile, warnedof a "huge risk" that Ukrainian children and women fleeing the war may fall victim to human trafficking.

Also exhausted Mariupol survivors continued to arrive by train in the western city of Lviv on Tuesday.

“In one compartment there were 10 or eleven people, with others in the corridor, but when you’re going to safety it doesn’t matter,” said one woman, Julia Krytska, who made it out with her husband and son. Her hands were shaking.

They were lucky to get out after volunteers found them in the besieged city, she said. “There’s no connection with the world," she said. “We couldn’t ask for help.” The people of Mariupol don’t have a chance to be heard, she said. “They are in need of help. People don’t even have water there,” Krytska said.

Also, a senior Serbian official said Belgrade will never impose sanctions or join the Western “hysteria” against Russia for its invasion of Ukraine.

Serbia’s Interior Minister Aleksandar Vulin said Tuesday: “Serbia will never be part of the anti-Russian hysteria in which the property of Russian citizens and the property of the Russian Federation is stolen, just as we will not ban Russian media.”

The Balkan country is a staunch ally of Russia, though it has condemned its invasion of Ukraine. Serbia is seeking membership of the European Union, but it is one of the few countries in Europe that has refused to join international sanctions against the Kremlin.

The UN refugee agency says more than 3.5 million people have fled Ukraine since Russia’s invasion, passing another milestone in an exodus that has led to Europe’s worst refugee crisis since World War II.

UNHCR reported Tuesday that 3.56 million people have left Ukraine, with Poland taking in the lion’s share — more than 2.1 million — followed by Romania with more than 540,000 and Moldova with more than 367,000.

Shortly after the invasion, UNHCR predicted that some 4 million refugees might leave Ukraine, though it has been re-assessing that prediction. The outflows have been slowing in recent days after peaking at more than 200,000 each on two straight days in early March.

The International Organization for Migration estimated that nearly 6.5 million people are internally displaced within Ukraine, suggesting that some if not most of them might to flee abroad if the war continues.

The World Health Organization, meanwhile, said it has confirmed 62 attacks on health care assets in Ukraine since the conflict began and through last Friday. The attacks caused 15 deaths and 37 injuries. The assets include hospitals and medical facilities, transport of medical supplies, warehouses, and health care workers.

In another development, Italy said it wanted Ukraine in the EU. "We want a road map to get Ukraine closer to Europe," said Italy PM Mario Draghi, responding to an address by Zelenskyy.

"We will need huge institutional reforms. To President Zelenskyy, I want to say Italy is close to Ukraine in this process, Italy wants Ukraine in the EU."

When horror and violence seem to have overwhelmed everything, this is the time that we must defend human rights and democratic values," continued Italy's PM Draghi.

"The people who are fleeing the war must be welcomed. Faced against the massacres and genocide, we must support the resistance. Faced against the growing isolation of President [Vladimir] Putin, we need to show the international community is unified. Ukraine had the right to be safe."

"Today Ukraine is not only defending itself but is defending our peace, our freedom, our security, defending the multilateral order which we’ve constructed with so much difficulty after World War II," added Draghi.

"Solidarity of Italians to Ukrainians has been huge. Italians have opened wide their doors to Ukrainian refugees with a sense their pride of our country. We will keep doing this thanks to the incessant work and professionalism of our regions, our civil protections and our volunteers.

"In front of these uncivilized manners, Italy doesn’t want to turn its head. The government and parliament of Italy are on the frontline of support for Ukraine, it will offer financial help, and has answered requests for support and assistance against the Russian invasion." — Euronews