US is prodding Ukraine to hold talks with Russia amid invasion: Top updates

Russia-Ukraine War: "Ukraine fatigue is a real thing for some of our partners," the report quoted an unnamed US official as saying.

The United States is encouraging Ukraine to signal an openness to negotiate with Russia, a report said. The Washington Post reported citing unnamed sources as saying that the request by American officials was not aimed at pushing Ukraine to the negotiating table but a calculated attempt to ensure Kyiv maintains the support of other nations.

Russia-Ukraine War: Windows of St. Andrew's Church are illuminated during a blackout in Kyiv, Ukraine. (AP)

The report comes at a time when US state department said Moscow was escalating the war and did not wish to engage in peace talks. The report also said that US and Ukrainian officials acknowledged that president Volodymyr Zelensky's ban on talks with Vladimir Putin had generated concern.

"Ukraine fatigue is a real thing for some of our partners," the report quoted an unnamed US official as saying.

Here are top updates on Russia-Ukraine war:

1. The White House national security council did not respond to the Washington Post report.

2. A state department spokesperson said, according to new agency Reuters, "The Kremlin continues to escalate this war. The Kremlin has demonstrated its unwillingness to seriously engage in negotiations since even before it launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine."

3. On Saturday, Iran acknowledged for the first time that it had supplied drones to Russia.

4. Rolling blackouts in Kyiv and seven Ukrainian regions will be stepped up, the operator of Ukraine's grid said.

5. Ukrainian attackers shot and seriously injured a judge in an eastern Russian-controlled region of Ukraine , a pro-Moscow official said.