Zelenskiy hails upcoming Ukraine-Russia peace talks amid fallout from Biden comments on Putin

Talks set to start in Turkey as Ukraine president seeks peace ‘without delay’ and Joe Biden again forced to deny seeking regime change in Russia

Russia-Ukraine war: latest updates What we know on day 33 of Russia’s invasion

Russian and Ukrainian negotiators will resume face-to-face talks as soon as Monday, as Volodymyr Zelenskiy hailed the forthcoming new negotiations, saying he hoped they would bring peace “without delay”.

The new talks are set to start in Turkey on either Monday or Tuesday, with Zelenskiy desperate to halt the bombardment of cities such as Mariupol, where officials said the situation is “catastrophic”.

The UN estimates that at least 1,100 civilians have died and more than 10 million have been displaced in a devastating war that has gone on far longer than Moscow expected.

Ukraine’s deputy prime minister accused Russia of “irresponsible” acts around the occupied Chernobyl power station that could send radiation across much of Europe, and urged the United Nations to dispatch a mission to assess the risks in an update to her Telegram account.

Hollywood A-listers noted the toll on civilians with a moment of silence at Sunday’s Oscars ceremony in Los Angeles, urging support for “the people of Ukraine currently facing invasion, conflict and prejudice within their own borders”.

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