Nearly 20,000 civilians fled Mariupol by way of a humanitarian corridor on Tuesday in the biggest evacuation yet from the besieged Ukrainian port city, while Russian forces stepped up their bombardment of Kyiv.
On the diplomatic front, a top Ukrainian negotiator, presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak, described the latest round of talks with the Russians as "very difficult and sticky" and said there were "fundamental contradictions" between the two sides, but added that "there is certainly room for compromise." He said the talks will continue Wednesday.
Earlier in the day, another aide to Ukrainian President Volodymir Zelenskyy, Ihor Zhovkva, struck a more optimistic note, saying the talks had become "more constructive" and that Russia had softened its stand by no longer airing its demands for Ukraine to surrender.