Russia-Ukraine ceasefire talks end with no breakthrough

Russian and Ukrainian officials met on the Belarusian border on Monday to discuss a ceasefire but the talks ended with no breakthrough.

Ukraine had said it wanted to secure an immediate ceasefire and the withdrawal of Russian forces while the Kremlin declined to comment on Moscow's goals.

The meeting ended with officials heading back to their respective capitals for further consultations before a second round of negotiations, RIA news agency quoted Ukrainian presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak as saying.

Russia calls its actions in Ukraine a "special operation" that it says is not designed to occupy territory but to destroy its southern neighbour's military capabilities and capture what it regards as dangerous nationalists.

The Western-led response has been emphatic, with sanctions that effectively cut off Moscow's major financial institutions from Western markets.

In Brussels, European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said EU sanctions would have a cost for Europe "but we have to be ready to pay the price, or we will have to pay a much higher price in the future".

The EU will provide intelligence to Ukraine about Russian troop movements and EU countries are determined to increase their military support to Kyiv, Borrell said.

France said President Emmanuel Macron spoke to Putin on Monday and urged an immediate ceasefire and an end to attacks on civilians and infrastructure.