* Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy called for meaningful talks with Russia to stop its invasion, as Moscow said it was "tightening the noose" around the key port of Mariupol.
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* US President Joe Biden warned China's leader Xi Jinping of "consequences", which the White House said could include sanctions, if Beijing gave material support to Russia's invasion. Both sides called for a diplomatic solution to the crisis in its fourth week.
* Ukraine expects progress on its EU membership bid within months, Zelenskiy said after a call with the President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen.
* As the prolonged assault has reduced much of Mariupol to rubble, Ukraine's defence ministry said it had "temporarily" lost access to the Azov Sea, which connects to the Black Sea and would be a major loss.
* "Russian forces have made minimal progress this week", Britain said. It reported Russian attempts to surround Kyiv and Mykolaiv have been pushed back while heavy Russian shelling of the encircled cities of Kharkiv, Chernihiv, Sumy and Mariupol continued.
* The UN human rights office reported 816 confirmed civilian deaths. Kyiv officials said 222 people had been killed in the capital, including 60 civilians and four children.
* Ukraine's food supply chains are breaking down and the conflict is leading to "collateral hunger" around the world, the UN food aid agency warned.
* Border crossings from Ukraine have slowed but could rise again if conditions in the west of the country worsen, the UN refugee agency said.
* The UN says 3.27 million people have fled, with a further two million displaced inside the country.
* Roman Abramovich transferred a company to a director of Chelsea Football Club the day Russia invaded Ukraine, corporate filings seen by Reuters showed. It was the second time the Russian tycoon, who is trying to sell the English soccer team, moved assets to a close associate before Britain and the EU imposed sanctions on him.
QUOTES
"I want everyone to hear me now, especially in Moscow. The time has come for a meeting, it is time to talk ... Otherwise, Russia's losses will be such that it will take you several generations to recover," Ukraine President Zelenskiy said in a video address.
Australian Associated Press
