The latest talks between Russian and Ukrainian negotiators have ended without a breakthrough. The two sides have agreed to meet again on Tuesday.
The nations held a new round of talks on Monday as Russia's military forces bombarded Kyiv and other cities across Ukraine with a punishing assault that the Red Cross said has created "nothing short of a nightmare" for the country's civilians.
After an air strike on a military base near the Polish border brought the war dangerously close to Nato's doorstep, the talks raised hopes for progress in evacuating civilians from besieged Ukrainian cities and getting emergency supplies to areas without enough food, water and medicine.
"Everyone is waiting for news," Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in a new video address on the 19th day of the war.
The negotiations, which took place by video conference, are the fourth round involving higher-level officials from the two countries and the first held in a week. Previous discussions, held in person in Belarus, did not produce lasting humanitarian routes or agreements to end the fighting in Ukraine.
The two sides expressed some optimism in the past few days. Ukrainian presidential aide Mykhailo Podolyak said over the weekend that Russia was "listening carefully to our proposals".
He tweeted on Monday that the negotiators would discuss "peace, ceasefire, immediate withdrawal of troops & security guarantees". The talks ended without a breakthrough after several hours. Mr Podolyak said the negotiators took "a technical pause" and planned to meet again on Tuesday.
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