Summary

  • Russia will "drastically reduce combat operations" around Kyiv and the northern city of Chernihiv, its deputy defence minister says

  • But US President Joe Biden says "let's see" what happens on the ground

  • UK PM Boris Johnson also urges caution - saying he will judge Russia by its actions, not words

  • Ukraine's President Zelensky says the "positive" signs do not "drown out" the sound of Russian attacks

  • The mayor of Chernihiv says "time will tell" if the Russians stick to their word

  • And a Russian negotiator warns the de-escalation is "not a ceasefire"

  • A US official says some Russian troops are leaving Kyiv - but will wait to see if it's meaningful

Live Reporting

Edited by Jude Sheerin

  1. Russia continues to strike targets across Ukraine - UK MoD

    People watch as smoke rises above Lviv after a Russian airstrikeREUTERS/Pavlo Palamarchuk

    Powerful explosions have been reported in the western city of Lviv

    The UK's Ministry of Defence (MoD) has given an update on the latest fighting in Ukraine, saying that:

    • Russian forces continue to strike targets across Ukraine, including targeting many densely populated civilian areas
    • Russia continues to rely on munitions launched from within Russian airspace in order to reduce their aircrafts' exposure to Ukrainian air defences
    • The US has reported these weapons have a failure rate of up to 60%, which is forcing Russia to switch to less sophisticated missiles

    The Armed Forces of Ukraine have also posted an update on Facebook, with these key points:

    • Russia has continued to attack civilian and military infrastructure in the besieged south-eastern city Mariupol
    • It has also continued to target the Ukrainian capital Kyiv, firing on suburban areas and directly into the city
    • Armed forces in neighbouring country Belarus, which is an ally of Russia, have been conducting training activities in Brest, Minsk and Grodno regions

  2. US to provide $100 million in civilian security aid to Ukraine

    The US State Department has said that it will provide Ukraine with $100 million in civilian security assistance "to provide essential border security, sustain civil law enforcement functions, and safeguard critical governmental infrastructure".

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    This comes as Russian strikes on Ukraine continue - on Saturday, the western city of Lviv, which has largely been spared so far, came under heavy rocket fire.

    US President Biden is visiting Poland, whose border is just 70km from Lviv.

  3. Russian general killed near the Ukrainian city of Kherson

    Russian general, Lt Gen Yakov RezantsevDENIS NASIK/WIKIMEDIACOMMONS

    Russian general Lt Gen Yakov Rezantsev has been killed in a strike near the southern city of Kherson, according to Ukraine's defence ministry

    Rezantsev was the commander of Russia's 49th combined army.

    A western official said he was the seventh general to die in Ukraine, and the second lieutenant general - the highest rank officer reportedly killed.

  4. Sanctions could be lifted if Russia's forces withdraw - UK foreign secretary

    UK Foreign Secretary Liz TrussEPA

    Liz Truss's comments echo her US counterpart Antony Blinken's, who has said travel bans and asset freezes are "not designed to be permanent"

    Russian oligarchs, banks and businesses could have sanctions against them lifted if Russia's President Vladimir Putin ends his invasion of Ukraine and commits to "no further aggression", UK Foreign Secretary Liz Truss has said.

    She told the Sunday Telegraph newspaper that the threat of "snapback sanctions" would be retained if the Russian president did attack again.

    The foreign secretary also said that a "negotiations unit" had been established in the UK Foreign Office to aid possible peace talks.

    Russia has shown signs of possibly scaling back its ambitions in Ukraine, with a senior military official saying on Friday that its efforts were now turning to the eastern Donbas region. However the Western city of Lviv, which until now has largely stayed unscathed, came under heavy rocket fire on Saturday.

  5. Watch: Emotional concert takes place in Kharkiv metro

    Musicians in Ukraine's second city of Kharkiv have performed an emotional concert in a metro station, which is being used as a makeshift shelter.

    Kharkiv has been the target of intense Russian bombardment for weeks, leaving residents to take shelter in bunkers and metro stations.

    The concert marked the opening day of the Kharkiv Music Festival.

    You can see a clip below.

    War in Ukraine: Musicians perform emotional concert in Kharkiv metro station

  6. Welcome to our live page

    Hello and thanks for joining us for our continuing coverage of the conflict in Ukraine. Saturday's reporting can be found here.