Ukraine agrees to peace talks ‘without preconditions’, Putin puts nuclear forces on high alert: what we know so far

• Ukraine has agreed to talks with Russia “without preconditions”, the office of President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has said. Zelenskiy did not sound hopeful of success, but said, “Let them try so that later not a single citizen of Ukraine has any doubt that I, as president, tried to stop the war”.

• In a disturbing escalation of tensions, Vladimir Putin ordered his military command to put nuclear deterrence forces on high alert, in response to what he called “aggressive statements” by Nato countries. In giving the order, the Russian president complained of “illegitimate sanctions” by western countries, which target him personally. It was not immediately clear what his order of “special mode of combat duty” entailed. Putin has warned foreign countries not to interfere in his invasion of Ukraine, saying it could lead to “consequences they have never seen”.

• Ukraine claimed its forces had repelled a Russian attempt to seize Kharkiv, the country’s second largest city, after fierce fighting and street battles with advancing Russian troops. Governor Oleg Sinegubov said Russian soldiers were surrendering in groups of five to 10 and throwing their equipment in the middle of the road.

• In a decisive break with the past, the German chancellor, Olaf Scholz, told a special session of the Bundestag that the government would create a €100bn (£84bn) fund for the armed forces, meaning Berlin will meet a longstanding Nato pledge to spend at least 2% of GDP on defence. Meanwhile, in Berlin, more than 100,000 people protested against Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

• In another unprecedented step, the EU announced that it would finance the purchase and delivery of weapons for the first time.

• The EU also announced plans to ban Russian state-backed channels RT and Sputnik, prohibit Russian airlines from its airspace, as well as new economic sanctions on the regime of Belarusian autocrat Alexander Lukashenko, described as “complicit in this vicious attack on Ukraine”.

• Speaking to the faithful in St Peter’s Square on Sunday, the Pope said those who make war should not be deluded into thinking that God is on their side.

• Western allies have agreed to block Russia’s access to the Swift international banking payment system. The US, Canada and key European countries, including Germany, have agreed to remove “selected Russian banks” from the Swift payment system, the countries announced on Saturday.

• Anti-war protests continued across Russia, with the number of people arrested reaching 1,474 on Sunday across 45 cities, according to a count by the OVD-Info rights group, which is tracking arrests. In Moscow, people laid flowers at the site near the Kremlin where opposition leader and anti-war campaigner Boris Nemtsov was murdered seven years ago.

• There were reports that a gas pipeline was on fire in Kharkiv after a Russian attack, while an oil terminal in Vasylkiv, south-west of the capital, Kyiv, has also been targeted. The government has warned that smoke from the explosion in Kharkiv could cause an “environmental catastrophe” and advised people to cover their windows.

• Ukraine’s deputy defence minister, Hanna Malyar, has claimed Russian forces have lost about 4,300 servicemen, a figure it has not yet been possible to independently verify.

• The 13 Ukrainian soldiers who were reportedly killed while defending an island in the Black Sea from an air and sea bombardment – reportedly telling a Russian navy warship to “go fuck yourself” when asked to surrender – may still be alive, according to Ukrainian officials.

• The UN refugee agency has said more than 368,000 people have fled Ukraine into neighbouring countries. Up to 4 million people could become refugees if the situation continues to worsen, the agency has said.

• The United Nations security council is due to vote on Sunday to call for a rare emergency special session of the 193-member general assembly on the invasion, diplomats said. The motion needs nine votes in favour and cannot be vetoed. Diplomats say it is likely to pass. Only 10 such emergency special sessions have been convened since 1950.

• Turkey signalled that it intends to block Russian warships from passing through the Bosphorus and Dardanelles straits, a significant shift in position that indicates it is prioritising ties with Europe and Nato allies over Russia.

• Britain is preparing a “hitlist” of Russian oligarchs to be targeted by sanctions in the coming months, the foreign secretary, Liz Truss, has said.