The Russian defence ministry has announced a ceasefire in Ukraine's besieged port city of Mariupol, allowing civilians to be evacuated.
"For this humanitarian operation to succeed, we propose to carry it out with the direct participation of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees and the International Committee of the Red Cross," the ministry said in a statement.
The humanitarian corridor from Mariupol to Zaporizhzhia - through the Russian-controlled port town of Berdiansk - will open at 1000 local time (0700 GMT) on Thursday (March 31). Ukraine is yet to comment on the announcement, but previously accused Russia of forcibly relocating thousands of civilians from the city.
Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk said 40,000 had been relocated from Ukraine to Russian-held territory without any co-ordination with Kyiv.
Zelensky's daily address
President Volodymyr Zelensky made his daily address on what appeared to be the streets of Kyiv, meanwhile. As the fifth week of the war came to an end he vowed to fight for "every metre of our land, for every person". The president acknowledged Russia's withdrawal of troops from Kyiv and Chernihiv, but warned that at the same time there appeared to be a build-up of troops in the Donbas region.
"There is an ongoing negotiation process," he said. "But these are still words. So far no specifics. There are also other words about the alleged withdrawal of Russian troops from Kyiv and Chernihiv. About the alleged reduction of activity of occupiers in these directions.
"We know that this is not a withdrawal, but the consequences of exile. Consequences of the work of our defenders. But we also see that at the same time there is an accumulation of Russian troops for new strikes in Donbas. And we are preparing for this.
"We do not believe anyone - we do not trust any beautiful verbal constructions. There is a real situation on the battlefield. And now - this is the most important thing. We will not give up anything."
UK Ministry of Defence intelligence update issued this morning
In an 'intelligence update' shared on Twitter this morning, the UK's MoD said: "Despite Russian statements indicating an intended reduction of military activity around Chernihiv, significant Russian shelling and missile strikes have continued.
"Russian forces continue to hold positions to the east and west of Kyiv despite the withdrawal of a limited number of units. Heavy fighting will likely take place in the suburbs of the city in coming days. "Heavy fighting continues in Mariupol, a key objective of Russian forces, however Ukrainian forces remain in control of the centre of the city."
White House claims Putin feels misled, while advisers are 'scared to tell him the truth'
A spokesperson for the White House said the US had information that Russian President Vladimir Putin "felt misled by the Russian military", which had led to "persistent tension between Putin and his military leadership", reported the BBC.
Kate Bedingfield said: "Putin's war has been a strategic blunder that has left Russia weaker over the long term and increasingly isolated on the world stage."
Jeremy Fleming, the head of the UK's cyber-intelligence agency GCHQ said Putin’s advisers are scared to tell him the truth about the progress of the invasion.
"He underestimated the strength of the coalition his actions would galvanise. He under-played the economic consequences of the sanctions regime," he said. "He over-estimated the abilities of his military to secure a rapid victory.
"We’ve seen Russian soldiers – short of weapons and morale – refusing to carry out orders, sabotaging their own equipment and even accidentally shooting down their own aircraft. And even though we believe Putin’s advisers are afraid to tell him the truth, what’s going on and the extent of these misjudgements must be crystal clear to the regime."
He added: "It’s become his personal war, with the cost being paid by innocent people in Ukraine and increasingly, by ordinary Russians too."
Ukrainian sisters to be welcomed in UK
Two sisters from Ukraine, meanwhile, said it was a "miracle" that they have been welcomed into a new home, after a Yorkshire family stepped forward to help. YorkshireLive reported Kateryna and Daryna, who both lived in Kyiv, fled the war soon after Russia ordered the invasion of Ukraine at the end of February.
Kateryna, 28, had to walk out of Kyiv as Russian troops advanced, while 32-year-old Daryna and her four-year-old son Yuroslav were able to catch a bus out of their small town near the capital city. They have since been stranded in Lublin, a Polish city near the Ukrainian border, but are now set to make the journey to the UK.
The pair will board a train across Europe and travel to Ilkley to move in with their host family. "It was so hard (to leave)," said Kateryna. "I walked, it took a full day to leave and my sister left with her son by bus."
Foreign Secretary to urge India to counter Russian aggression
Elsewhere, Foreign Secretary Liz Truss is to urge India to work with other democracies to counter Russia’s aggression in Ukraine. Ms Truss is in New Dehli for talks with counterparts amid concern in the West about prime minister Narendra Modi’s reluctance to publicly condemn the actions of Russia – a long-standing ally dating back to the Cold War.
India, which is heavily reliant on Moscow for arms imports, has abstained in a series of votes in the United Nations on the issue. Earlier this month, India agreed to import three million barrels of heavily discounted Russian oil as Moscow was forced to drop prices due to the effect of international sanctions.
Although the amounts are relatively small, there are concerns the volumes could increase in the coming months, potentially weakening the impact of economic restrictions.
UK warns China against Russia alignment
And the head of Britain’s GCHQ spy agency is warning China not to become “too closely aligned” with Russia as it continues to pursue its path of aggression against Ukraine. In a rare public address during a visit to Australia, Sir Jeremy Fleming will say President Vladimir Putin has made a “strategic miscalculation” over his assault on his neighbour.
He will say that China’s long-term interests are not well served by an alliance with a country that “wilfully and illegally” ignores the international “rules of the road”. His intervention comes after Prime Minister Boris Johnson last week directly confronted President Xi Jinping over Beijing’s stance on the conflict in Ukraine in what was described as a “frank and candid” discussion.
Speaking at the Australian National University in Canberra, Sir Jeremy will say that President Putin has made a clear “strategic choice” to align with China as it grows more powerful in direct opposition to the United States. From the Kremlin’s point of view, it regards China in the current crisis as a supplier of weapons, a provider of technology, a market for its oil and gas and a means to circumvent sanctions.
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