Ukraine war: Moscow-Kyiv talks resume on ceasefire, troops withdrawal

Ukraine-Russia war: Ukraine’s negotiator Mykhailo Podolyak said discussions were underway over ceasefire and withdrawal of troops. "Consultations on the main negotiation platform renewed," he wrote on Twitter.

Talks between Ukraine and Russia resumed on Tuesday, a day after it was paused over technical issues. Ukraine’s negotiator Mykhailo Podolyak said discussions were underway over ceasefire and withdrawal of troops.

Firefighters extinguish a fire in an apartment building in Kyiv after strikes on residential areas killed at least two people,  (AFP)

"Consultations on the main negotiation platform renewed. General regulation matters, ceasefire, withdrawal of troops from the territory of the country," he wrote on Twitter.

Russia’s war against its pro-West neighbour reached its 20th day, having battered cities, killing hundreds and triggering the worst refugee crisis in Europe since the Second World War.

Live updates on Ukraine-Russia war

The talks were being held amid relentless bombardment of Ukrainian cities by Russian troops that were edging closer to the centre of capital Kyiv with a series of strikes hittng a residential neighborhood.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said barrages hit four multi-story buildings in the city and caused dozens of deaths.

Leaders of three European Union countries were on their way to Kyiv to meet top officials. A 36-hour curfew will be imposed in the capital amid the firing and deaths.

“The aim of the visit is to express the European Union’s unequivocal support for Ukraine and its freedom and independence,” Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala said in a tweet. He was joined by Janez Jansa of Slovenia, Mateusz Morawiecki of Poland and Jaroslaw Kaczynski, Poland’s de-facto leader, for the trip.

(With agency inputs)