War in Ukraine: Latest developments

At least eight people are killed in the bombing of the Retroville shopping centre in northwest Kyiv

Here are the latest developments in the war in Ukraine:

- 'Powerful bombs' rock Mariupol -

More than 200,000 people are trapped in the city described by those who managed to escape as a "freezing hellscape riddled with dead bodies and destroyed buildings", Human Rights Watch says.

The mayor of Kyiv Vitali Klitschko says that if the worst comes to the worst, "we will die, but we will never surrender," addressing the Council of Europe as Russian troops seek to surround the capital.

Kyiv is under curfew until Wednesday morning.

Russia would only use nuclear weapons in the context of the Ukraine conflict if it were facing an "existential threat," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov says.

- Russia seeks 'substantial' talks -

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky renews his offer of direct talks with his Russian counterpart Putin.

- 12 killed in east Ukraine -

- New Western sanctions -

Sullivan also says Washington has not seen evidence of any Chinese weapons shipments in recent days to its ally Russia.

Ukraine forces have reversed the battlefield momentum against invading Russians in some areas to reclaim ground in recent days, the Pentagon says.

- 'False news' law -

- Bioweapons warning -

He says Moscow's claim that the US helped Ukraine develop biological weapons is "a clear sign" Putin is himself considering biological or chemical warfare.

Kremlin-allied tabloid Komsomolskaya Pravda reports that 9,861 Russian troops have been killed and 16,153 injured in the nearly month-old war, 20 times the official tally. The figures are quickly removed from its website.

Over 3.5 million Ukrainians have now fled the country following Russia's invasion, the United Nations says. More than 10 million have been displaced from their homes.

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