A local resident walks in front of a destroyed Russian armored personnel carrier (APC) in a village on the frontline of the northern part of Kyiv region on March 28, 2022. AFP
Here are the latest developments in the war in Ukraine:
Irpin recaptured
Ukrainian forces have 鈥渓iberated鈥� the Kyiv suburb of Irpin, the country鈥檚 interior minister says in televised remarks.
But fighting appeared to be continuing around the area, with AFP journalists hearing around 20 shell explosions in quick succession by the road leading into Irpin.
Elsewhere, Ukrainian soldiers finish clearing Russian troops from the village of Mala Rogan on the outskirts of second-largest city Kharkiv.
聽New peace talks
Ukrainian and Russian negotiators meet Tuesday for their first face-to-face talks in weeks. The discussions come after President Volodymyr Zelensky says Kyiv鈥檚 negotiators are studying a Russian demand for Ukrainian neutrality.
Ahead of the new discussions, Moscow says negotiations have so far made no major breakthroughs in regular video calls.
Russia鈥檚 foreign minister also says direct talks between Zelensky and President Vladimir Putin, something the Ukrainian leader has regularly demanded, would be 鈥渃ounterproductive鈥� for now.
5,000 dead in Mariupol聽
A senior Ukrainian official says at least 5,000 people have been buried in the besieged southern city of Mariupol since the invasion began, but that bodies have gone uncollected for the past 10 days amid continuing Russian shelling.
The foreign ministry describes the humanitarian situation in the city as 鈥渃atastrophic鈥�.
Poisoning report
Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich and Ukrainian negotiators were targets of a suspected poison attack at peace talks earlier this month, the Wall Street Journal reports, citing people familiar with the matter.
Ukrainian officials decline to confirm the incident, advising people to follow 鈥渙nly the official information鈥�, and warning about 鈥渧arious conspiracy theories.鈥�
Abramovich and the negotiators reportedly developed symptoms including red eyes and peeling skin, though they later recovered.
Wagner group in Ukraine鈥揢K
Britain鈥檚 defense ministry says Russia鈥檚 Wagner Group has deployed its mercenaries to eastern Ukraine, adding that more than 1,000 fighters were expected to participate in the war after Russian setbacks.
UN seeking humanitarian ceasefire
The United Nations is seeking a humanitarian ceasefire, chief Antonio Guterres says, announcing he has tasked UN humanitarian chief Martin Griffiths to 鈥渆xplore鈥� possible agreements鈥� with both sides on trips to Moscow and Kyiv.
鈥� US budget includes Ukraine aid 鈥�
US President Joe Biden unveils a budget proposal with a four-percent increase in defence spending and a $6.9 billion infusion of funding for Ukraine and NATO, with another $1 billion allocated to Washington鈥檚 efforts to counter Moscow鈥檚 influence.
Biden meanwhile is again forced to defend his remarks that Putin 鈥渃annot stay in power鈥�, saying the comments were not a policy change but expressed his 鈥渕oral outrage.鈥�
Fierce fighting around Kyiv
Russian attacks near Kyiv cut power to more than 80,000 homes, officials say, underscoring the peril facing the capital despite an apparent retreat in Moscow鈥檚 war aims to focus on eastern Ukraine.
鈥淭he enemy is trying to break through the corridor around Kyiv and block transport routes,鈥� Ukraine鈥檚 deputy defence minister Ganna Malyar says.
$565 billion hit
Ukraine鈥檚 Economy Minister Yulia Svyrydenko says on Facebook that invasion has cost her country an estimated $564.9 billion, including immediate damage and expected hits to trade and economic activity.
Top newspaper silenced
Russia鈥檚 top independent newspaper Novaya Gazeta, whose chief editor was last year awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, suspends publication until the end of the war in Ukraine.
The paper, which has fallen foul of Russian censors for its reporting on the war, says it took the decision 鈥渢o save us for each other鈥�.
鈥楿nfriendly鈥� states
Russia says it is preparing to restrict entry to the country for nationals of 鈥渦nfriendly鈥� countries, including Britain, EU members and the United States, in retaliation for Western sanctions on the country.
Meanwhile rival brewers Heineken and Carlsberg become the latest Western firms to pull out of Russia.
RELATED STORIES
Billionaire Abramovich, Ukrainian peace negotiators hit by suspected poisoning鈥攔eports
Ukraine sets ceasefire goal for new Russia talks, but breakthrough looks distant
Ukraine鈥檚 Zelensky says tougher Russian sanctions needed quickly
Almost 5,000 killed in Mariupol since Russian siege began鈥攎ayor鈥檚 office