Last updated at 8:03 PM IST
- Fourth round of Ukraine-Russia talks on "technical pause" until Tuesday
- Ukraine wants immediate ceasefire and withdrawal before going further
- Zelenskyy says Kyiv's negotiators pushing for direct talks with Putin
- Ukraine's army expects fresh attacks by Russian forces
- Ukrainian officials to try to evacuate more citizens through corridors
Ukraine-Russia talks takes a 'technical pause'
Ukrainian negotiator, Mykhailo Podoliak, wrote on Twitter a "technical pause" has been taken in the Ukraine-Russia talks until Tuesday.
He said the negotiations would continue, but negotiators needed a break to do "additional work in the working subgroups and clarification of individual definitions."
Ukrainian and Russian were more optimistic going into Monday's fourth round of talks than on previous occasions when negotiations between the two nations had ended without a resolution.
Zelenskyy to address US House and Senate
Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will give a virtual address to US Congress on Wednesday.
"We look forward to the privilege of welcoming President Zelenskyy's address to the House and Senate and to convey our support to the people of Ukraine as they bravely defend democracy," House leader Nancy Pelosi and her Senate counterpart Chuck Schumer said in a joint letter to lawmakers.
Last week, Congress approved $13.6 billion (€12.4 billion) in humanitarian, military, and economic assistance to Ukraine.
Zelenskyy had already received standing ovations from the UK and Polish parliaments after speaking to their lawmakers in recent weeks.
Squatters occupy Russian oligarch's London mansion
Squatters have occupied a London mansion that is believed to belong to Russian billionaire Oleg Deripaska, who was hit by British sanctions last week.
The protesters have been seen waving the Ukrainian flag and holding a banner saying "This property has been liberated."
Metropolitan Police said they were called in the early hours of Monday after receiving reports that people had entered the mansion in Belgrave Square, in an upmarket area home to several foreign embassies.
"By occupying this mansion, we want to show solidarity with the people of Ukraine, but also the people of Russia who never agreed to this madness," read a statement from the squatters, who described themselves as anarchists.
"You occupy Ukraine, we occupy you," it said.
The police tweeted it had "completed a search of the property in Belgrave Square and are satisfied there are no protesters inside."
The UK froze the assets of Deripaska last Thursday, one of a number of Russian oligarchs who have been targeted.
More than 160 private cars leave besieged Mariupol
After days of failed attempts, more than 160 civilian cars have been able to drive out of the besieged Mariupol along a humanitarian evacuation route.
In a Telegram post, the Mariupol city council said the convoy carrying Ukrainian civilians was heading towards Berdyansk.
Russian forces have surrounded Mariupol in southeastern Ukraine for two weeks.
The roughly 400,000 people remaining in the city are running out of food, water, and basic supplies.
Ukrainian officials said that a humanitarian convoy headed to the city on Sunday never left a nearby town because of Russian bombing.
Fourth round of Ukraine-Russia talks kick-off
Ukrainian and Russian delegations have met for the fourth round of talks, this time meeting online rather than in person, Ukrainian negotiator Mykhailo Podolyak wrote on Twitter.
Podolyak said that "communication is being held yet it's hard" which he said was down to "too different political positions."
He said earlier that the talks will focus on achieving a ceasefire ahead of political discussions.
Zelenskyy cancels address for 'very urgent' reasons
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy was supposed to speak to the Council of Europe on Monday, but his address has been cancelled due to "very urgent, unforeseen circumstances," the organization said.
It is not clear what the circumstances are, but it is expected that Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal will take Zelenskyy's place at a slightly delayed time.
Red Cross chief — History is watching in Mariupol
The war in Ukraine is now "nothing short of a nightmare" for people living in besieged cities, a top Red Cross official says.
Robert Mardini, who is director-general of the International Committee of the Red Cross, also said the war was "catastrophic" for civilians, with people run out of drinking water, food, medical supplies, and fuel for heating.
The situation was particularly bad in the surrounded Ukrainian city of Mariupol, Mardini said, with medical facilities also still being targeted in attacks.
The official said there was still no established route for people to reach safety from Mariupol and some other areas where the fighting is at its most intense.
"History is watching what is happening in Mariupol and other cities and civilians must be protected," the AP news agency quoted Mardinio as saying.
"When we look at the devastation, when we look at how some neighborhoods are looking like today, it is really frightening," Mardini said. "And it tells a lot about a situation that is nothing short of a nightmare for people living there.''
Zelenskyy cancels address for 'very urgent' reasons
Ukraine to demand immediate ceasefire and withdrawal
One of the Ukrainian negotiators that has been taking part in the rounds of talks between Russia and Ukraine, Mykhailo Podolyak, said ahead of the fourth meeting on Monday that the new talks will focus on achieving a ceasefire.
Podolyak said Ukraine wanted "immediate withdrawal of all troops and security guarantees.
"Only after this can we talk about regional relations and about political differences," Kyiv's lead negotiator Mikhailo Podolyak said in a video statement, adding that there was a "difficult conversation" to be had.
"Although Russia realizes the nonsense of its aggressive actions, it still has a delusion that 19 days of violence against Ukrainian peaceful cities is the right strategy," he added.
Previous talks between the two sides tried to establish humanitarian corridors, which often ended up quickly falling apart.
High-level talks between the Russian and Ukrainian foreign ministers in Turkey on Thursday failed to result in an agreement on ending the conflict.
Russians lose access to Instagram
The popular social media app Instagram was no longer accessible in Russia from Monday after it appeared on a list of "restricted" online resources published by Russia's media regulator Roskomnadzor.
The block follows similar steps taken by Moscow against Facebook and Twitter in early March as it aims to crackdown against criticisms of its invasion into Ukraine.
Instagram is the most used app among young Russians, but on Monday only those with a VPN could refresh the feed.
The social media platform also plays a key role for many small businesses that use it to advertise, conduct sales and communicate with clients
Shell hits residential building in Kyiv
Ukrainian emergency services say a shell that hit a residential building in Kyiv's Obolon district has killed at least two people.
The bodies were discovered in the 9-story apartment building.
The online news site Ukrainian Pravda tweeted a video of the burning and damaged building, which has said to have been hit at about 7.40 am local time.
Ukraine announces new corridor plan
Ukraine's Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereschuk says the country is set to try to evacuate trapped civilians through 10 humanitarian corridors.
The routes to be established would run from towns near the capital Kyiv and in the eastern region of Luhansk.
Vereschuk also said the government would try again to move a humanitarian convoy carrying food and medicine into the surrounded port city of Mariupol.
Russia and Ukraine to discuss ceasefire
One of the Ukrainian negotiators that has been taking part in the rounds of talks between Russia and Ukraine, Mykhailo Podolyak, said ahead of the fourth meeting on Monday that the new talks will focus on achieving a ceasefire.
"Negotiations. 4th round. On peace, ceasefire, immediate withdrawal of troops & security guarantees. Hard discussion," he wrote on Twitter.
"Although Russia realizes the nonsense of its aggressive actions, it still has a delusion that 19 days of violence against Ukrainian peaceful cities is the right strategy," he added.
Previous talks between the two sides tried to establish humanitarian corridors, which often ended up quickly falling apart.
High-level talks between the Russian and Ukrainian foreign ministers in Turkey on Thursday failed to result in an agreement on ending the conflict.
Ukraine calls for more weapons and sanctions
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba has called on western states to increase their sanctions against Russia and to supply Ukraine with more weapons.
"To those abroad scared of being 'dragged into WWIII.' Ukraine fights back successfully. We need you to help us fight. Provide us with all necessary weapons," Kuleba wrote on Twitter.
"Apply more sanctions on Russia and isolate it fully. Help Ukraine force Putin into failure and you will avert a larger war."
The EU and US, among others, have already brought in a raft of sanctions against Russia, that have seen the value of the ruble fall to historic lows. However, while the US and UK have pledged to stop buying Russian oil and gas, some EU countries, including Germany, have so far refused this proposal due to their reliance on Russia's fossil fuels.
Kyiv has also repeatedly called for a no-fly zone, but NATO has rejected this idea saying that it risks bringing Russia and NATO countries into direct conflict and triggering a much larger-scale war.
Australia and Netherlands take action over downing of MH 17
Australia and the Netherlands have begun joint legal action with the Netherlands against Russia at the International Civil Aviation Organization over the downing of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 in 2014.
They added they would rely on "overwhelming evidence" the plane was struck down by a Russian missile driven from Russia into eastern Ukraine.
"Today’s joint action by Australia and the Netherlands is a major step forward in both countries’ fight for truth, justice and accountability for this horrific act of violence, which claimed the lives of 298 victims, 38 of whom called Australia home," Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison and Foreign Minister Marise Payne said in a statement on Monday.
The joint action will be taken under Article 84 of the Convention on International Civil Aviation. The Netherlands is separately trying four suspects for murder individually.
Russia accuses West of plotting 'artificial default'
The Russian Finance Ministry has accused foreign countries of trying to force Russia into an "artificial default" through unprecedented sanctions over Moscow's war in Ukraine.
The ministry said it might have to repay some loans in roubles as Western sanctions take their toll on the economy.
"The freezing of foreign currency accounts of the Bank of Russia and of the Russian government can be regarded as the desire of a number of foreign countries to organize an artificial default that has no real economic grounds," Finance Minister Anton Siluanov said in a statement.
The ministry said it had approved a temporary method for repaying foreign currency debt, but added that sanctions could — in the future — prevent banks from honoring debts in the currency of issue.
In the statement, the ministry said Russia had enough funds to meet its debt obligations.
Germany plans stealth jets after Ukraine rethink — report
Germany is planning to equip its air force with US-built F-35 stealth military jets, according to the dpa news agency.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz last month announced a massive boost in defense spending as the Ukraine conflict forces Berlin to rethink its foreign policy.
Berlin is reportedly seeking to use the Lockheed Martin planes to replace the country's Tornado fleet, introduced more than 40 years ago.
The F-35 is considered the world's most modern combat aircraft. Its unique shape and outer coating, make the jet difficult for enemy radar to detect.
According to sources, Germany plans to buy up to 35 of the planes.
In light of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Scholz said he would bring the nation's investments above a key NATO commitment 2% of GDP.
Concerns had previously arisen that buying the F-35 aircraft could scupper joint plans with France to build a joint European combat aircraft.
Taiwan says ASUS withdraws business and staff from Russia
Taiwanese computer maker ASUS will be putting in place a plan to "evacuate" its business and staff from Russia, said economy minister Wang Mei-hua on Monday.
He said Taiwan stands with other democracies and has taken action against Russia, but could not comment on what individual companies were doing.
"Russians have no moral right to use your brilliant technology! It's for peace, not for war!" said Ukraine's vice prime minister, who is also the minister for digital transformation. He had shared a letter on Thursday to ASUS Chairman Jonney Shih calling on the company to end its business in Russia.
Ukrainian army expects fresh attacks
The Ukrainian army said on Monday that Russian troops were trying to gain a foothold in occupied positions and were preparing several fresh attacks.
"The enemy is forming and moving strategic reserves to our borders," the Ukrainian general staff said in a daily bulletin.
Ukraine's military said that new attacks on Kharkiv, Sumy and Kyiv suburb Brovary were expected.
Ukraine accused Russian forces of destroying stationary military and civilian infrastructure in the country, in contravention of international humanitarian law.
The bulletin said that Russian forces in the eastern Luhansk region were concentrated on advancing towards the city of Severodonetsk. According to the Ukrainian military, Russian forces suffered casualties and retreated from the towns of Topolske and Shpakivka in the Kharkiv region.
Instagram now blocked in Russia
Social network app Instagram is now blocked in Russia following similar bans on Facebook and Twitter.
This was confirmed by the NetBlocks cybersecurity watchdog and Russian Instagram users early on Monday.
Russian media regulator Roskomnadzor announced the step on Friday, saying it would come into effect on Sunday at midnight. The regulator justified the measure saying that calls for violence against Russian citizens were being made from the network.
The step follows a decision by Meta, the company that owns Instagram, to allow for calls for violence against Russian troops.
In a Sunday statement published by Russian news agency TASS, Roskomnadzor pointed out that Russia has its own social network platforms such as Vkontakte and Odnoklassniki, and encouraged users to find "new ways of communicating" after losing access to Instagram.
Summary of events in Ukraine-Russia crisis on Sunday
Russia said its forces hit a military training facility in western Ukraine, near the Polish border. A Ukrainian regional governor said 35 people were killed and 134 wounded in the attack.
A US filmmaker and journalist was also killed Sunday.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called on software companies Microsoft, SAP and Oracle to stop offering support for their products in Russia.
The head of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), Kristalina Georgieva, said Russia is at risk of a deep recession that might make it unable to pay its debts.
Russian NGO OVD-Info said that more than 800 people were detained during peace rallies in 37 Russian cities.
Ukraine said it fixed a broken power line to the Chernobyl power plant, which has been seized by Russian troops.
A far-right group has staged a protest in the Serbian capital Belgrade in support of Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
Earlier on Sunday, a new mayor was reportedly installed in southeastern Ukraine's city of Melitopol after the previous mayor Ivan Fedorov was abducted by Russian troops, according to media reports.
