In the eastern Ukrainian city of Mariupol there have been claims of shelling as elsewhere residents are looking to exit through humanitarian corridors.
Look back on all of Wednesday's updates as they happened.
Key events
- IAEA says no critical impact on safety after power loss at Chernobyl
- Russian shelling holds 400,000 'hostage' in Mariupol, says Ukraine
- Nestle suspends all capital investment in Russia
- EU approves new sanctions against Russian oligarchs, Belarus banks
- Ukrainian, Russian armed forces agreed to stop firing in six areas
- Ukrainians to be evacuated from Enerhodar as temporary ceasefire in force
- Air alert issued in Kyiv as evacuations from Sumy to continue for second day
- Senior Russian politician suggests nationalising foreign-owned factories that shut down operations
- Russia default on debt is 'imminent', says ratings agency Fitch
- Poland's proposal on fighter jets not 'tenable', Pentagon says
- Russian ceasefire will open up humanitarian corridors, Russian state media reports
- Is Putin crazy? More likely insulated and hardened in his views, US intelligence official says
- McDonald's and Starbucks suspend business in Russia
- Poland to give all of its Soviet-designed MiG-29 fighter jets to the US, for use by Ukraine
- 'Putin will never take the country': Biden issues stark warning to Russian leader
Live updates
By Jessica Riga
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By Jessica Riga
German Chancellor says no sense in military solution in Ukraine
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz says there was no sense in a military solution to the Ukraine conflict and he hoped, instead, that a solution could be found in talks between Russia and Ukraine.
Speaking at a joint news conference with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Mr Scholz said Germany needed to diversify raw materials used by industry and that his country was working with Canada on this.
Reporting by Reuters
By Jessica Riga
Ukraine says Russian shelling disrupting evacuation of eastern town of Izyum
A planned evacuation of civilians from the Ukrainian town of Izyum in the eastern Kharkiv region has been held up by Russian shelling, regional governor Oleh Synehubov says.
"Buses are still waiting at the entrance to Izyum," he said, adding that negotiations with the Russians were under way with the support of the Red Cross.
Reporting by Reuters
By Jessica Riga
IAEA says no critical impact on safety after power loss at Chernobyl
The loss of power at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant in Ukraine does not have any critical impact on safety, the UN nuclear watchdog has said in a statement.
"Heat load of spent fuel storage pool and volume of cooling water at Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant sufficient for effective heat removal without need for electrical supply," the IAEA said in a statement.
Reporting by Reuters
By Jessica Riga
Russian shelling holds 400,000 'hostage' in Mariupol, says Ukraine
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba has accused Russia of holding 400,000 residents of Mariupol hostage by shelling the southern Ukrainian port city despite efforts to establish a safe evacuation corridor for civilians.
"Almost 3,000 newborn babies lack medicine and food," he wrote on Twitter.
"Russia continues holding hostage over 400,000 people in Mariupol, blocks humanitarian aid and evacuation. Indiscriminate shelling continues."
Russia has denied targeting civilians in what it calls a "special operation" in Ukraine.
Reporting by Reuters
By Jessica Riga
EU leaders split on Ukraine membership, official says
European Union leaders are split on whether to put Ukraine firmly on the path for membership, an official with the bloc says, a day before heads of member states are due to discuss Kyiv's request to join quickly.
The official, who is involved in preparing the EU summit in Versailles and spoke on condition of anonymity, said all leaders were in favour of strengthening links with Ukraine.
"But the question is whether they'd find consensus for enlargement, which is sometimes more tricky," the official said.
By Jessica Riga
Germany has no knowledge of radiation leaking from Chernobyl plant
Germany has no knowledge of radiation leaking from the Chernobyl nuclear power plant in Ukraine, an environment ministry spokesperson says.
"We have no knowledge that radioactive substances are leaking," the spokesperson told a news conference.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said earlier on Wednesday that Russia must urgently observe a temporary ceasefire to allow repairs on a power line to the Chernobyl plant, saying radiation could be leaked if an electricity outage continues.
France is in contact with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) as it seeks to assess the situation at the plant, government spokesman Gabriel Attal said.
"We are trying to clarify these reports together with the International Atomic Energy Agency," said Attal, who added that France was asking Russia to co-operate.
Reporting by Reuters
By Jessica Riga
Radiation levels at occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant are normal, says Energoatom
Radiation levels around Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant are normal while repairs are being carried out on a block damaged by fighting with Russian troops, Petro Kotin, the head of state nuclear firm Energoatom, has said.
The plant, the largest of its kind in Europe, was seized by Russian forces last week.
Reporting by Reuters
By Jessica Riga
Britain exploring donating anti-air missiles to Ukraine, says defence minister
Britain is exploring donating anti-aircraft missiles made by Thales to Ukraine to help it defend its skies from Russian invasion, defence minister Ben Wallace has said, adding the technology fell within the definition of defensive weapons.
"It is vital... that Ukraine maintains its ability to fly and suppress Russian air attack," Mr Wallace said.
"In response to Ukrainian requests, the government has taken the decision to explore the donation of STARStreak high-velocity man-portable anti-air missiles.
"We believe that this system will remain within the definition of defensive weapons, but will allow the Ukrainian force to better defend their skies."
Reporting by Reuters
By Jessica Riga
80,035 Ukrainian refugees registered in Germany so far
Some 80,035 Ukrainian refugees have been registered in Germany so far, a German interior ministry spokesperson has said.
Reporting by Reuters
By Jessica Riga
Johnson says Britain will gain from accepting Ukrainian refugees
Britain Prime Minister Boris Johnson has replied to comments from Ukraine's ambassador to London, which we reported on just before.
Mr Johnson says Britain would gain from accepting refugees and that he expects hundreds of thousands of visas to be granted to people fleeing Ukraine amid criticism of his government for keeping strict entry requirements.
Referring to the number of visas granted to Ukrainian refugees fleeing Russia's invasion of the country, Mr Johnson said: "The numbers are almost a thousand... and they will rise very sharply... We expect those numbers to rise to in the region of the hundreds of thousands."
"We understand how much refugees have to give to this country and we understand how much this country has to gain from welcoming refugees, and we will be generous and we are being generous."
Reporting by Reuters
By Jessica Riga
Nestle suspends all capital investment in Russia
Nestle, the world's largest food group, has announced it's suspending all capital investment in Russia following its invasion of Ukraine.
The Swiss-based group, which has already stoped all advertising in Russia, added it will continue supplying essential food products in the country, Reuters reports.
By Jessica Riga
Ukraine calls on UK to relax visa requirements for fleeing refugees
Ukraine's ambassador to London has said that 100,000 Ukrainian refugees could eventually come to Britain as he called on the government to relax the conditions for granting visas for people fleeing the conflict with Russia.
Many countries in other parts of Europe have allowed Ukrainian refugees to enter without visas. Britain has required people have visas, and the application process has led to criticism that it is too slow and bureaucratic.
Britain has granted just over 700 visas to Ukrainians since the start of the war. By comparison, Poland has taken in more than 1.2 million Ukrainians.
Ambassador Vadym Prystaiko told the British parliament's Home Affairs committee that he understood security checks were required, but asked for the visa process to be simplified.
"Most people don't have passports with them, their homes were bombed, we're not printing passports in my embassy," he said.
"In reality if you have a one-year-old, it is definitely not a terrorist. So you can strike them out of the list of potential terrorist risks."
Mr Prystaiko, who has been Ukraine's top diplomat in Britain since 2020, said obtaining visas to Britain was difficult even before Russia invaded.
The ambassador said his wife was initially denied a visa when he was appointed Ukraine's envoy to Britain.
"When I was coming here as ambassador, I got my visa on time although I was already approved by your government, my wife didn't have it," he said.
Asked whether he would like to see a plane travel from Britain to Poland or Romania to bring back refugees, Mr Prystaiko said: "If you want to send planes, send F-16s."
Reporting by Reuters
By Jessica Riga
Putin to meet with government tomorrow on ways to minimise sanctions impact
Russian President Vladimir Putin will hold a meeting with members of his government on Thursday and the main topic will be measures to minimise the impact of sanctions on the Russian economy, the Kremlin has said in a statement.
By Jessica Riga
Some civilians, mostly women and children, have left Ukrainian city of Enerhodar, says mayor
A convoy of evacuees have left the Ukrainian city of Enerhodar through a "humanitarian corridor" after a temporary ceasefire was agreed with Russian forces, its mayor has said.
Enerhodar is the site of Europe's largest nuclear power station of its kind. The Russian assault on the area raised alarm bells last week when parts of the plant's facility were set ablaze. The plant remains under Russian control.
Enerhodar Mayor Dmytro Orlov said "mostly women and children, the elderly, left the city."
Reporting by Reuters
By Jessica Riga
US Vice President's trip to Poland, Romania will focus on next steps against Russia
US Vice President Kamala Harris will collaborate with Poland and Romania on next steps to respond to Russia's invasion of Ukraine and reassure them of Washington's support during her meetings with leaders of both countries starting tomorrow.
The countries have been increasingly anxious about Russia's aggression in the region and are NATO's easternmost members. They share a border with Ukraine, where thousands of refugees are flooding in.
Ms Harris will focus on ways NATO members can implement the economic sanctions put in place and how they can stay aligned and move forward together, senior administration officials said.
She will also engage with Ukrainian refugees in Poland, discuss continuing humanitarian and security assistance to Ukraine and the region, they said. The number of refugees created by the invasion has surpassed 2 million.
The vice president will discuss the issues in Warsaw with Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who is also visiting the region, they said.
Reporting by Reuters
By Jessica Riga
Ukraine warns of radiation leak risk after power cut at occupied Chernobyl plant
Radioactive substances could be released from Ukraine's Chernobyl nuclear power plant because it cannot cool spent nuclear fuel after its power connection was severed, Ukraine's state-run nuclear company Energoatom has said.
It said fighting made it impossible to immediately repair the high-voltage power line to the plant, which was captured by Russian forces after the Kremlin launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine on February 24.
Energoatom said there were about 20,000 spent fuel assemblies at Chernobyl that could not be kept cool amid a power outage.
Their warming could lead to "the release of radioactive substances into the environment. The radioactive cloud could be carried by wind to other regions of Ukraine, Belarus, Russia, and Europe," it said in a statement.
Without power, ventilation systems at the plant would also not be working, exposing staff to dangerous doses of radiation, it added.
On Tuesday, the UN nuclear watchdog warned that the systems monitoring nuclear material at the radioactive waste facilities at Chernobyl had stopped transmitting data.
Reporting by Reuters
By Jessica Riga
Russia says it skipped World Court case because Ukraine suit is 'absurd'
Russia did not attend a World Court hearing in a lawsuit brought by Ukraine seeking to halt hostilities on its territory because of the "absurdity" of the suit, Russia's foreign ministry has said on Twitter, its first public statement on the matter.
Russia did not attend hearings on Monday at the International Court of Justice in The Hague, which is the UN court for resolving disputes between nations.
Ukraine argued that Russia had wrongly tried to justify its invasion on false assertions that it was attacking in self defence to prevent genocide.
Russia's tweet said it had not attended "in light of the apparent absurdity of the lawsuit".
Reporting by Reuters
By Jessica Riga
Kremlin says United States has declared economic war on Russia
The Kremlin has said that the United States has declared economic war on Russia and that Moscow would think seriously about what to do after US President Joe Biden imposed a ban on Russian oil and other energy imports.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Russia had been, is and would be a reliable energy supplier and pointed out that energy flows continued, Reuters reports.
By Jessica Riga
Ukraine to pull troops and equipment from UN missions
A UN official says Ukraine will repatriate troops and equipment, including helicopters, involved in UN peacekeeping missions in Africa and Europe to bolster defences at home in the face of Russia's invasion.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy signed a decree on Tuesday recalling all peacekeeping forces in order to assist in the war effort at home, Ukrainian media reported.
Ukraine contributes about 300 troops, police officers and staff to six UN missions, a number unlikely to drastically alter peacekeeping operations globally.
Reporting by Reuters
