More now on calls from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky for direct negotiations with Russian leader Vladimir Putin, which he made in comments posted in a video message overnight.
Speaking from Kyiv, Zelensky told Putin it was "time to meet, time to speak. I want to be heard by everyone, especially in Moscow”.
The Ukrainian leader told Russian officials that the time had come "for renewing territorial integrity and fairness for Ukraine".
Zelensky also accused Russian troops of causing a "humanitarian disaster" by blocking the port city of Mariupol, preventing supplies from reaching residents and shelling residential areas.
He alleged that Moscow had ordered its troops to "do everything, so the humanitarian catastrophe in Ukrainian cities turned into reason for Ukrainians to work together with the occupiers". He added that such actions amount to "a war crime".
BBC