Kyiv and other cities come under heavy fire

Ukraine began "difficult" negotiations yesterday with Russia on a ceasefire, even as heavy fighting and air strikes continued to besiege cities and claim civilian lives, including in the Ukrainian capital Kyiv.

Negotiators on both sides in the fourth round of talks to find a diplomatic solution to Russia's invasion of Ukraine had indicated they were making headway.

Officials said at least one person died in the shelling of a residential building in Kyiv, and a second person was killed by falling debris after a missile strike on another part of the capital.

Elsewhere, cities in Ukraine's west saw renewed air strikes, while Chernihiv in the north-east faced heavy shelling. In the south, Russia has established a blockade of Ukraine's Black Sea coast, isolating its neighbour from international maritime trade.

The British Ministry of Defence said Russian naval forces were continuing their missile strikes against targets in Ukraine.

In the besieged southern port city of Mariupol, over 160 civilian cars were allowed to drive out yesterday afternoon along a humanitarian corridor, heading north-west towards Zaporizhzhia. More than 2,500 residents in the heavily bombarded city have been killed so far.

Meanwhile, the number of refugees fleeing Ukraine since Russia invaded on Feb 24 climbed to more than 2.8 million, United Nations data showed yesterday.