Russian, Ukrainian negotiators fail to strike ceasefire deal

KHARKIV, Ukraine: Russian President Vladmir Putin on Monday levelled conditions on ending Moscow's offensive against Ukraine as Russian forces shelled the country's second city in the face of sweeping Western sanctions.

The Russian attacks on Kharkiv killed at least 11 people, Ukrainian officials said. Kyiv says more than 350 civilians, including 14 children, have been killed since the invasion began on Thursday.

In a lengthy telephone call, Putin told French President Emmanuel Macron that "the demilitarisation and denazification" of Ukraine and Western recognition of Russian sovereignty over the Crimean peninsula were prerequisites to ending fighting in Ukraine, the Kremlin said.

Russian and Ukrainian negotiators met for the first time with Ukraine demanding a ceasefire and the withdrawal of Russian troops. The talks ended with both sides agreeing to continue a second round of negotiations "soon". The talks onthe Belarus-Ukraine border were led by Ukraine's defence minister and Russian presidential adviser Vladimir Medinsky. Zelensky meanwhile issued another video address, wearing his now trademark green khaki sweatshirt, calling on the European Union to agree to "the immediate accession of Ukraine via a new special procedure". But European Council president Charles Michel stressed there were "different opinions and sensitivities within the EU on enlargement. US President Joe Biden held a call with allies to discuss Russia's war on Ukraine.

Earlier in the day, the Russian army urged Ukrainians to leave Kyiv "freely" on one highway out ahead of what is an expected Russian offensive to capture the capital. There were signs of a renewed attack on Kyiv as air raid sirens are heard and residents head back into underground shelters after a day of respite from the weekend's curfew. BBC News correspondent Clive Myrie in Kyiv said his reporting base was "shaken by nearby missile fire" and the "windows shook" in their closest blast yet. Oleg Svist, in Chernihiv, told the BBC his city was undergoing heavy fire from all sides. "I hear explosions from everywhere," he said. It is "like a circle around me. It's imminent, it's not somewhere far away, they're bombing the centre of Chernihiv."

Long queues for groceries snaked through the streets of Kyiv after a strict 36-hour military curfew was lifted and volunteer militias learned how to make homemade explosives.

Western defence officials and the Kyiv government say Ukrainian troops have so far kept the country's major cities out of Russian hands despite incursions in the capital and Kharkiv over the weekend. The small southern city of Berdyansk has been occupied, Ukrainian officials said. Moscow claimed it had "gained air superiority over the entire territory of Ukraine", while accusing Ukrainian troops of using civilians as human shields. Western defence officials have warned that Russia might be preparing to lay siege to Ukraine's cities, which would cause major suffering for civilians. EU countries will give fighter jets to Ukraine, foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said as the bloc agreed to transport weapons worth 450 million euros to Kyiv.

In a related development, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said he intends to apply the Montreux Convention, which governs the access of ships through the Bosphorus and the Dardanelles straits, "in the interests of Turkey". The announcement confirms that Turkey does not plan to block Russian ships moving through the key straits, as Ukraine has been requesting since the start of the conflict. At the same time, Finland took the "historic" decision to supply weapons to Ukraine following Russia's invasion of its neighbour, its prime minister announced. On the other hand, Hungary said it would not allow weapons to be transported through its territory after the European Union pledged military aid to Kyiv.

As Russia becomes increasingly isolated on the world stage, it faced a crucial test of support Monday as the 193 members of the UN General Assembly held an extraordinary debate on a resolution condemning Moscow's "unprovoked armed aggression" in Ukraine. During the rare emergency special session -- just the 11th the Assembly has held in the United Nations' 77-year history -- Russia defended its decision to invade as a member state after the member state made a plea for peace. Moscow has pleaded "self-defense" under Article 51 of the UN Charter. But that has been roundly rejected by Western countries and the UN, which accused Moscow of violating Article 2 of the Charter, requiring its members to refrain from the threat or use of force to resolve a crisis. "If Ukraine does not survive, the United Nations will not survive. Have no illusions," said Ukraine's ambassador to the UN, Sergiy Kyslytsya, imploring countries to support the resolution.

"The fighting in Ukraine must stop," warned UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, after the session began with a minute of silence for the victims. "Enough is enough. Soldiers need to move back to their barracks. Leaders need to move to peace. Civilians must be protected." The resolution is non-binding but will serve as a marker of how isolated Russia is. The wording of the resolution was watered down to try to attract maximum support, according to drafts seen by AFP. It no longer "condemns" in the strongest terms, Russia's aggression but rather "deplores" it. A vote is expected on Wednesday.

China's ambassador, Zhang Jun, said "nothing can be gained from starting off a new Cold War," but did not indicate how Beijing would vote.

The UN's refugee agency UNHCR said over half a million people had fled the conflict zone. As people attempt to flee Ukraine, there have been angry scenes at Lviv station Monday morning as thousands tried to escape Ukraine. Scuffles broke out in large crowds as desperate families tried to board trains to the EU. Children were caught among the crush that developed, as people attempted to board one of the few trains heading west to Poland.

In a late night development, the United States has asked 12 Russian United Nations diplomats to leave the country due to their alleged engagement in “activities that were not in accordance with their responsibilities and obligations as diplomats,” Ambassador Richard Mills, Deputy Representative of the United States to the United Nations, said during a UN Security Council meeting Monday afternoon. Russian Ambassador to the UN Vassily Nebenzia responded by saying Mills’ explanation of the expulsions was “not satisfactory.”