Kyiv - Russian forces intensified their assault on the Ukrainian city of Sievierodonetsk on Sunday after claiming to have captured the nearby rail hub of Lyman, as Kyiv issued new calls for longer-range weapons from the West.
Amidst the mayhem of airstrikes, Ukrainian civilians are fleeing towns and cities in eastern Ukraine as Russian forces advance.
France and Germany urges direct talks between warring nations
In an attempt to quell the war, French President, Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz spoke to Mr Putin by phone for 80 minutes, urging him to to hold "direct [and] serious negotiations" with Ukraine's president, the German chancellor's office said.
Russia's leader said Moscow was open to resuming dialogue with Kyiv, according to the Kremlin, though he did not mention the possibility of direct talks with his Ukrainian counterpart, Volodymyr Zelensky.
Russia has previously said more than 900 of the fighters were moved to a reopened prison colony in Olenivka, a village in Russian-occupied Donetsk. Ukraine hopes they will be released as part of a prisoner exchange - but Russia has not confirmed with some Russian lawmakers argue the fighters should be tried or even executed.
They urged him to lift a Russian blockade of Odesa port to allow Ukrainian grain exports, France said. The Kremlin said Putin told them Moscow was willing to discuss ways to make it possible for Ukraine to resume shipments of grain from Black Sea ports. read more
Ukraine is a major grain exporter, and the blockage of its exports threatens to result in food shortages in a number countries, including in Africa.
The Russian navy on Saturday conducted another test of a prospective hypersonic missile, a demonstration of the military’s long-range strike capability amid the fighting in Ukraine.
Ukraine under heavy attack in the east
Sievierodonetsk, some 60 km (40 miles) northeast of Lyman on the eastern side of the river and the largest Donbas city still held by Ukraine, was under heavy assault from the Russians.
"The situation has extremely escalated,” said Serhiy Gaidai, the governor of Luhansk.
The shelling was so intense it was not possible to assess the latest casualties and damage, though two people were killed on Saturday and 13 more buildings in the city were destroyed, he said.
-Reuters/AP/BBC