Russian forces let a first column of cars escape Ukraine's besieged port of Mariupol but blocked an aid convoy trying to reach the city, Ukraine said, after 10 days of failed attempts to rescue civilians under relentless bombardment. More than 2,500 civilians have been killed there since the Russian invasion on Feb. 24, a Ukrainian official said.
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres sounded the alarm over Russia raising the alert level for its nuclear forces and said the prospect of nuclear conflict was within realm of possibility. DIPLOMACY * Speaking before a new round of talks, Russian and Ukrainian officials said positive results could come within days. Ukraine said it wanted to discuss a ceasefire, troop withdrawal and security guarantees, and a negotiator described the talks as "hard" soon after they started. * The Kremlin denied U.S. officials' reports that Russia asked China for military equipment after invading Ukraine. Beijing called the reports "disinformation". * Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke again with Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett about the conflict. CIVILIAN TOLL * At least one person when an apartment block in Kyiv was hit by a Russian shell, local authorities said. * Russia said 20 civilians were killed and 28 wounded by an Ukrainian missile in the eastern city of Donetsk controlled by pro-Russian separatists. Ukraine denied the report and Reuters was unable to independently verify it.
FIGHTING * The Kremlin said its campaign was going according to plan after a Putin ally made the strongest public acknowledgement yet that it was slower than hoped. * Ukraine reported more air strikes on an airport in the west, heavy shelling on Chernihiv northeast of Kyiv and attacks on the southern town of Mykolayiv. Ukraine's forces counter-attacked in Mykolayiv and the eastern Kharkiv region, an Interior Ministry official said. REFUGEES * About 2.8 million people have fled Ukraine, more than 1.7 million of them to Poland, according to the latest tally from the UN refugee agency. ECONOMY AND MARKETS * Stock markets firmed and oil prices eased on hopes for progress in Russian-Ukraine peace talks. * The war in Ukraine must be stopped to prevent a global food crisis, Russia's coal and fertiliser billionaire Andrei Melnichenko said. * Russia may suspend exports of wheat, barley, maize (corn) and rye starting from Tuesday until June 30, the Interfax news agency reported. * Oil prices dropped about 8% to the lowest in two weeks as diplomatic efforts between Ukraine and Russia stepped up.
COMING UP * Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy will virtually address the U.S. Congress at 9 a.m (1300 GMT) on Wednesday (Compiled by Lincoln Feast and Tomasz Janowski; Editing by Nick Macfie and Angus MacSwan)
Ukraine and Russia: What you need to know right now
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