President Zelensky says 1,300 Ukrainian soldiers have been killed

Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky has said that some 1,300 Ukrainian forces have been killed since the Russian invasion of Ukraine began.

At a press conference, Volodymyr Zelensky said that rather than trading ultimatums, negotiating teams from Kyiv and Moscow had begun discussing concrete themes.

He urged Western countries to become more active in peace talks, but praised Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett’s efforts to mediate between Ukraine and Russia.

On Friday, between 500 and 600 Russian soldiers surrendered to Ukrainian forces, according to Zelensky.

More than 2,000 people of the now-Russian-controlled southern city rallied outside the city administration building, demanding the mayor’s release.

According to the Kremlin, Russian President Vladimir Putin informed them on the current level of discussions and addressed their worries about the humanitarian situation.

The Kremlin did not mention a ceasefire in its summary of the call with Mr Macron and Mr Scholz, and accused Ukraine of employing civilians as human shields.

The political negotiations take place as fierce battle rages near Kyiv today, with Ukrainian officials claiming that continuous shelling is jeopardising civilian evacuations from besieged towns and cities.

--Agencies