This comes in the wake of a private militia called The Wagner Group run by one of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s closest allies sending in mercenaries from Africa five weeks ago tasked with removing the Ukraine government

Russia Ukraine News Highlights | President Vladimir Putin put Russia's nuclear deterrent on high alert on Sunday in the face of a barrage of Western reprisals for his war on Ukraine, which said it had repelled Russian ground forces attacking its biggest cities.

"I have cooled down regarding this question a long time ago after we understood that ... NATO is not prepared to accept Ukraine," Zelensky said in an interview aired Monday night on ABC News.

Volodymyr Zelensky has attained a hero status worldwide after refusing to surrender or evacuate Ukraine capital Kyiv even as Russian forces closed in on the city.

“The elimination of our troops, of our men (in Mariupol) will put an end to any negotiations,“ Zelensky said.

The Kremlin said it had placed Russian nuclear forces on high alert shortly after the assault began February 24, but the United States says it has not seen any sign of unusual nuclear movements

Guterres sent letters this week requesting these in-person meetings to try to regain the initiative for the UN, which has been largely marginalised from the crisis since Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24

Russia-Ukraine war: Three years ago, Volodymyr Zelensky was an actor in running to be Ukraine's president. Now, he has to see his country through a bloody conflict.

The world should be united and set a precedent to deter larger countries from launching a "brutal invasion" against their smaller neighbours, Zelensky said in a virtual address to WEF