Ukraine: Putin says will meet target via ‘talks or war’, refugee crisis worsens | Top updates

While bombings continue in Ukrainian cities for the 11th day, Putin held talks with Macron and Erdogan and expressed willingness to discuss settlement on the conflict.

As the ongoing clash between Russia and Ukraine continued for the 11th day, a second attempt to evacuate civilians from the war-hit city of Mariupol in the east European nation collapsed after parties involved in the ceasefire agreement failed to agree for a safe passage. Russian President Vladimir Putin held talks with his French and Turkish counterparts and agreed on a trilateral meeting amid concerns of safety of nuclear plants. This came amid Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s appeals to world leaders to impose a no-fly zone over his country following the destruction of a civilian airport by eight Russian rockets

A young protestor holds an anti-war poster during a march on the Golden Mile Beach in Durban, as a show of support for the Ukrainian people, protesting against Russia's invasion. (AFP)

Here are the top developments of the day:

• In a phone conversation with his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Putin said Russia's advance into Ukraine can come to a halt only if Kyiv ceases its military actions and fulfills Moscow's demands. According to reports, Putin confirmed "the Russian side's readiness for dialogue with Ukraine's authorities and foreign partners in order to settle the conflict".

• In another phone call with French President Emmanuel Macron, that lasted one hour and 45 minutes, the Russian leader said Moscow planned to achieve its aims in Ukraine either through diplomacy or military means. Putin also welcomed a trilateral meeting to discuss the safety of the nuclear plants among Russia, Ukraine and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in a third country or via teleconference.
• Zelenskyy said a barrage of Russian missiles “completely destroyed” the airport in Vinnytsia in the central part of the strife-torn country while making a fresh appeal for a no-fly zone over Ukraine. Several cities and airbases in Ukraine have been bombed, shelled or hit with ballistic missiles since Russia launched its invasion over past few days.
• In one of the worst-hit regions, Ukrainian port city of Mariupol suffered a setback for the second consecutive day. The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said that nearly 2,00,000 civilians were still stranded in Mariupol as parties involved in the ceasefire agreement failed to agree on the details of safe passages. Moscow and Kyiv continued to trade blame for ceasefire breaches.

• A record 1.5 million refugees from Ukraine have crossed over to neighbouring countries seeking shelter in a span of 10 days, said UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi. He termed the refugee crisis the fastest growing one in Europe since the Second World War.
• Lviv became a city of refugees as many people travelled to the city from Kharkiv, Kyiv, Kherson and other places with their families to save their lives. Lviv is among the few cities in Ukraine which has so far escaped Russia's assault.